Rangers stifle Devils’ high-powered offense in another low-scoring win

Low-scoring games are becoming a comfort zone for the Rangers. 

At least, it appeared that way Friday night, when the Rangers buckled down and dictated the pace of play for 60 minutes at the Garden for a 3-1 win over the Devils. 

The Rangers, behind 32 saves by goaltender Igor Shesterkin, limited their brazen cross-river rivals to a single goal after the Devils had scored three or more times in their previous five games, including three matchups in which they recorded five or more tallies. The Rangers’ top line also stayed hot, with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad leading the team with a goal and assist each in the win. 

Shesterkin, who picked up his 27th win of the season, kept the Rangers afloat through two shorthanded stretches in the first and another in the third, but the Russian netminder — to no one’s surprise — made big stops all night. 

To set the tone, Shesterkin denied Nico Hischier twice on a breakaway in the first period. He then caught a wrister from Jack Hughes during the Devils’ first power play and another shot from Tomas Tatar later in the period. 

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Shesterkin gloved down a P.K. Subban snipe from the slot in the second period, igniting chants of his name. The goalie then came out to contest Ryan Graves as the Devils defenseman made a move to the net at 18:27 of the period. His helmet popped off, but the Rangers maintained the lead. 

Despite a significantly lower number of shots from both teams in the second period, the Rangers regained the lead. Filip Chytil let out an emphatic fist pump for the Garden crowd after he wristed one past Devils goalie Nico Daws from the slot at 8:57 to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead. 

Kreider then scored a bit over halfway through the third period to put the Rangers up by two. 

The Rangers were active right from puck drop in the first period, outshooting the Devils 16-12, though they headed into the first intermission tied at one. After Zibanejad cleaned up a rebound on a shot from Jacob Trouba, the Devils answered just over 2 ½ minutes later when captain Hischier split the Rangers defense and went top corner on Shesterkin. 

The hits started early and came often, with the first period culminating to Barclay Goodrow and Subban dropping the gloves. 

With Kevin Rooney on injured reserve after suffering an undisclosed upper-body injury on Wednesday, Jonny Brodzinski drew into the lineup for the sixth time this season and the first time since Jan. 30. Additionally, Greg McKegg was a healthy scratch for the first time in 26 games, in favor of Morgan Barron.