NEWARK, N.J. — Maybe it was a letdown after their big day on Monday, when the Rangers brought in three new players at the NHL trade deadline, but the Blueshirts’ trip to New Jersey on Tuesday ended up with goalie Igor Shesterkin getting pulled from the net for the second time in his last five starts, and the Rangers losing to the Devils, 7-4 at Prudential Center.
Jack Hughes had two goals and the Devils outscored the Rangers 5-0 in the second period to seize control of the game. Down 5-2 to start the third period, the Rangers got a goal by Ryan Strome to get back in it momentarily, before Hughes scored twice to make it 7-3. Chris Kreider’s power-play goal, his 42nd, accounted for the final score.
The loss, coupled with Pittsburgh’s win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, dropped the Rangers (40-19-5) into third place in the Metropolitan Division.
The Rangers, with newcomers Andrew Copp, Tyler Motte and Justin Braun in the lineup after arriving in trades Monday, took a 2-0 lead in the first period, on goals by Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox. They looked to be in total control of the game, right up unti Ryan Graves got the Devils on the board at 7:12 of the second period.
One minute, 18 seconds later, P.K. Subban’s right point slapshot got through a bunch of bodies beat Shesterkin to tie it at 2, and then, at 12:40, Dawson Mercer was all alone at the back post to bang in the rebound of a Graves shot to give the Devils the lead. Tomas Tatar scored at 13:13, off a pretty feed from Damon Severson, to make it 4-2.
Things looked like they got worse for the Rangers when Ryan Reaves took a slashing penalty 19 seconds after the goal and Jesper Bratt scored 23 seconds after that. But the Rangers challenged the play, saying the Devils were offside. The challenge was upheld, and the goal disallowed. But the Devils got it back when Yegor Sherengovich scored at 18:07 to make it 5-2. When the third period began, Shesterkin was on the bench, replaced by Alexandar Georgiev.
Notes & quotes: With all the newcomers in the lineup, rookie D Braden Schneider and forwards Greg McKegg and Jonny Brodzinski were scratched, along with RW Julien Gauthier and D Libor Hajek. After the trade deadline, NHL teams no longer are limited to a 23-man roster, so for now the Rangers have five extra skaters.
