12/11 Devils at Rangers: 3 Things We Learned
Devils blanked by Rangers in first meeting of the season.
by Julie Robenhymer / newjerseydevils.com
The Devils lost, 5-0, to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden tonight and were shutout for the second time this season. Here's what we learned:
1) The power play, which has been pretty effective lately, was pretty powerless tonight: 0-for-5 with only five shots on goal with the man advantage. Said head coach John Hynes, "We had trouble on our entries and, when we had good entries, we didn't generate any shots to the net. You have to generate shots on the power play to be able to have success and open some things up and we didn't do that tonight."
2) For yet identified reasons, the Devils have struggled more often than not in the second period and that trend continued tonight with a total of three shots on goal despite three power plays and allowed the Rangers to score twice, once shorthanded. "If I knew why we were playing that way, we wouldn't be doing it anymore," said Andy Greene. "I don't know what's going on in the second period, but we need to figure it out quick."
3) For the third game in a row, Damon Severson lead the team in time on ice. Tonight he played 21:30.
The Devils are off tomorrow, but will practice again on Tuesday to prepare for their next game, Thursday in St. Louis.