Battle of The Hudson: Games 5 & 6
GAME 5
The Devils took their first lead of round one Thursday night when New York struggled in the rink, resulting in Jersey's outstanding 4-0 shut-out. Scoring opened in the first period with an unassisted goal by Ondrej Palat not even a minute into the game, shortly dispiriting New York. The Devils strived to continue that throughout the rest of the game, and they successfully did so. In the second period, Erik Haula and Dawson Mercer stretched the lead to 3-0 for Jersey. Erik Haula also had the only goal of the third, earning him two goals in the game. Shutting out New York 4-0 and giving Jersey the lead in the Eastern first round largely displayed their comeback since the tough losses during the first two games. On top of the shut-out, this game was the Devils' third game victory in a row. At the conclusion of game five, the Rangers had only 23 shots on goal, whereas New Jersey had 20 more, with 43. The Rangers needed to shoot the puck and play in their normal manner. More importantly, they needed to win game six if they wanted to continue their season.
GAME 6
New York pulled through and pushed for the seventh game of the series on Saturday night with a 5-2 win over Jersey. Finally, the Blueshirts came onto the ice showing some desire to play the sport alongside continuing their season. The two Devils’ goals were scored by Curtis Lazar and Dawson Mercer, the first and final goals of the game. Chris Kreider opened the scoring for New York, also being his sixth goal of the series. In the second, Mika Zibanejad finally showed he was there to win and secured his first goal of the playoffs. After being targeted across social media in addition to Artemi Panarin, Rangers fans were frustrated in wanting both stars to play their regular best, whereas in many of the previous games, they did not show up looking like themselves. Further goals in the game were scored by Vladimir Tarasenko, Barclay Goodrow, and Braden Schneider, which resulted in tying the series when the 60 minutes of play concluded. On Monday, the Rangers once again will travel back across the Hudson for the final game of the series and put a devastating end to one of the team’s seasons.
Both teams secured one home win each last week, tying the series in home losses and home victories. Game seven will determine which of the two teams will move on and play the Carolina Hurricanes in round two. Going into game details for the final time, it is possible the Devils may put Vanecek back in goal, as he has playoff experience, whereas Schmid is a rookie. In game six, Madison Square Garden roared with chants of “I-gor” as he only allowed two goals out of the 36 shots taken by Jersey. Taking game seven back to Newark, the fight on the ice tonight will determine the conclusion of the Battle of The Hudson. Who will the upset be delivered to, and who will continue to skate another game?