The New Jersey Devils beat the New York Rangers 7-1 on Thursday night at Prudential Center, pulling away with four goals in just over five minutes during the second period. Luke Hughes scored twice for New Jersey, and Nico Daws made 18 saves.
Evan Rodrigues broke the scoreless tie with 29.6 seconds left in the first period. Hughes scored 18 seconds into the second period, and New Jersey added three more goals in just over five minutes. Dylan Garand, in his third start as a callup, allowed four goals on 13 shots before being pulled.
Key Moments: How The Devils Beat Rangers 7-1
Rodrigues’ late first-period goal set the tone, and New Jersey turned it into a rout in the second. Hughes opened the scoring in the middle frame just 18 seconds after the intermission. Devils captain Nico Hischier followed with a tap-in goal after Garand mishandled the puck, and Arseny Gritsyuk buried a rebound shortly after to push the lead to 4-0. Hughes added his second of the night later in the period for a 5-0 cushion, and Garand was pulled after allowing four goals on 13 shots.
Rangers coach Mike Sullivan called a timeout midway through the second period in an attempt to slow New Jersey’s momentum, but the Devils kept scoring. Stefan Noesen made it 6-0 early in the third, and Pavel Dorofeyev finally got the Rangers on the board with a deflection goal on the power play. Cody Glass closed the scoring for New Jersey with a wrist shot that made it 7-1.
A giveaway by Rangers defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov set up Hughes’ first goal of the night. New York captain J.T. Miller had been strong earlier in the game, helping kill off a 5-on-3 penalty, but he whiffed on a passing attempt late in the first period that put the puck on Rodrigues’ stick in prime scoring position just before New Jersey’s opening goal.
Top Performers From The Devils’ Win
Hughes finished with two goals for his first multigoal game in the NHL, drawing an assist from Dougie Hamilton, who tallied two helpers on the night. Timo Meier, Brett Pesce, Amadeus Lombardi and Dawson Mercer each recorded two assists as well, spreading the offense across New Jersey’s lineup.
Daws turned aside 18 of 19 shots for the Devils. On the other side, Garand allowed four goals on 13 shots before his night ended, and relief goaltender Spencer Martin stopped 15 of 18 the rest of the way. Pavel Dorofeyev scored New York’s only goal on the power play, while Adam Fox added an assist.
What It Means
New Jersey improved to 4-3-0 with its second straight win, while New York fell to 6-3-0. The season series between the teams is now led by New Jersey 1-0.
The Devils scored with seven different goal scorers. New York missed Shesterkin, with Garand the latest goaltender to see significant action since the franchise goaltender was lost to injury.
What’s Next
The Rangers visit Columbus on Saturday. The Devils visit Washington on Saturday.
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