Hey Igor, are your ears ringing? All around the world “Igor!” chants are echoing and rightfully so. Following game one in The Battle of The Hudson, Igor Shetserkin’s name is being chanted all throughout the Tri-State area. It has only been one game, however this rivalry matchup between the NJ Devils and NY Rangers is shaping up to be a classic. For years, these two teams have battled, and round one of the NHL Playoffs is no different. We used to hear names like Messier, Leetch, and Lundquist face off against guys like Stevens, Elias, and Brodeur. Now, facing each other for the first time in the playoffs since 2012, we get Trouba vs. Hischier.
Regular Season
The Devils, a young team with the average age of about 25.5 has only made the playoffs once since 2013. Regardless of this drought, the 2023 Devils are nothing to sneeze at. They come into the playoffs after having gone 55-22-8. The Rangers, on the other hand, followed a playoff season last year, and finished this year with a 47-22-13 record. It is a true battle between two teams filled with playmakers and hope. The Devils are looking to bring their team back to the elite level they played at in the early 2000s. The Rangers continue to fight to prove they are an elite team to be feared around the league.
Pregame – Devils
Before game 1 of the NHL Playoffs, stats would tell you the Devils had the advantage. Jack Hughes just came off a career season, scoring 43 goals and 56 assists (99 points). These 99 points are a franchise record for points in a season. He is supported on offense by captain Nico Hischier who had 31 goals and 49 assists. Hischier has won about 54 percent of his faceoffs. On defense, Dougie Hamilton has been a strong force for the Devils, blocking 86 shots and scoring 74 points. Lastly, in net, Vitek Vanecek, has been strong all season. He comes into the series with a 91 percent save percentage.
Pregame – Rangers
The Rangers, on the other hand, have some big names themselves. Two offensive stars, Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad, have had 29 goals and 63 assists, and 39 goals and 52 assists. Both have had a shooting percentage of around 14.5 percent. On defense, the Rangers’ captain, Jacob Trouba, has been a brick wall all season. While only earning 30 points, Trouba has blocked the third most shots in the league with 196. Lastly, Igor Shesterkin comes into the series with a 91.6 save percentage, and 37 wins.
Game 1
Before game one of the NHL Playoffs, I would’ve told you that the key for the Rangers was to play strong, disciplined defense. The Devils have a dangerous offense, and have the potential to get an early lead each game. After game one, where the Rangers won 5-1, the script was flipped. The Rangers were on fire, getting goals from Filip Chytil, Chris Kreider (2x), Vladimir Tarasenko, and Ryan Lindgren. The Devils, on the other hand, only had a goal from Jack Hughes (penalty shot). It was very clear that the only source of offense for the Devils was Hughes. The few chances they had, the Devils had Hughes play aggressive offense and try to do too much himself. This made the Rangers job on defense easy and allowed them to have plenty of opportunities on the offensive end. The game was controlled by the Rangers for the majority of the time. However, when the Devils were able to possess the puck and limit the Rangers’ shots on goal, they had momentum.
Going Forward
I anticipate that controlling the puck and limiting Rangers’ shots will be New Jersey’s game plan for the rest of the series. If they want to win the next few games, I expect to see them spread the puck around more on the offensive end. As for the Ranger’s, if they continue to play strong offense, continue to block shots (23 last game), and limit Hughes’ opportunities, they should be able to win this series handedly.
If that’s not enough, hear from Braden Schneider on what the Rangers need to do to win the series.
“It’s keeping things simple and sticking to the way we played. We can always up our game.”
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 20, 2023
More Schneids: https://t.co/lt6OG78d4G
Motter: https://t.co/icuNohZMH3
Coach Gallant: https://t.co/ymgbF9cXSu pic.twitter.com/L3tKgJrLQE
My Name is Bruce Binster, a sportswriter for Belly Up Sports. You can find Belly Up Sports and my twitter here.
1 Comment
Great read. Good analysis on the rangers tough nose defense. Hoping they can keep it up and series goes their way!