Adam HenriqueThe overtime goal in Game 6 that sent the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final stands out. So is the atmosphere in the buildings, the Prudential Center, and Madison Square Garden.
But in terms of specifics, this is where the Rangers striker gets fuzzy. It was two weeks past his 21st birthday the last time the Rangers and Devils met in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He has never played a regular season NHL game.
“I was coming out of college and that was a whirlwind for me, so it’s kind of hard to look back and appreciate the appeal of that rivalry back then,” Kreider said. “It’s a great rivalry and it would make for good hockey, competitive hockey, but it’s hard for me to look back and really pinpoint certain things because I was just such a wide-eyed rookie.”
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Kreider is now a savvy veteran who knows exactly what to expect when the Rangers and Devils kick off the highly anticipated Part 1 Eastern Conference first-round series with Game 1 at the Prudential Center on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; TBS, SN360, TVAS2, MSG2, MSGSN2, MSGSN).
As noted by Kreider, this installment of “The Battle of the Hudson” will look different than the previous six (1992, 1994, 1997, 2006, 2008, 2012).
“I feel petrified for saying that, but the game has changed,” Kreider said.
In the 2012 Series, the Rangers and Devils combined for an average of 4.83 goals per game, which was on par with that year’s NHL playoff average of 4.84.
The Devils have scored 3.52 goals per game this season, which is fifth in the NHL. The Rangers finished in twelfth place with a 3.33. The NHL average was 6.36. The average in the playoffs last season was 6.31.
The biggest difference in the 11-year-old is noticeable with these two teams: speed.
“It’s going to be a fast-paced series,” said Kreider. “They skate well. We skate well.”
Video: Devils vs Rangers Hudson River Rivalry Preview
The Devils’ speed would present the Rangers’ greatest challenge, as it did in their four games of the regular season, with New Jersey winning three.
“They like to build speed through the neutral zone, so the important thing is to slow them down,” said Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren He said. “dont let [Jack] Hughes And [Jesper] Pratt Carry the puck across the no-man’s-land, build up speed and play the rush. This will obviously happen, they are good players, but you have to slow them down as much as possible and hit them when you can.
“On the flip side, we have to make sure we don’t tip the pucks over, that we’re smart with the puck and we don’t fan the speed of it.”
The Rangers’ skill protection, especially when used after generating speed from the rush, is the biggest challenge in New Jersey’s game plan.
“They don’t need as many shots as other teams do,” said Devils coach Lindy Ruff. “I think they’ve got some real shooters when you look at them [Mika] zipanejadAnd [Artemi] PanarineAnd [Vladimir] TarasenkoAnd [Patrick] Ken. Their rush game is dangerous. We must make sure that we are diligent in our spontaneous decisions. We have to make sure that we track hard and that we take the time and the ice away, and that developing opportunities are kept to a minimum.”
The demons have to deal with it Igor Shesterkinwho won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender last season and entered the series pitching his best season with 12 wins, a 1.98 goals-against average and 0.934 goals-against in his last 16 games.
“I feel good,” Shesterkin said.
If there’s one defining advantage for the Rangers in this series, it’s in Shesterkin’s crosshairs for his award-winning pedigree, performance down the stretch and playoff experience, having gone 10-9 with a 2.59 GAA and 0.929 save percentage in the playoffs last year.
Devils goalkeeper Vitek Vanishk He had a solid season with 33 wins, a 2.45 GAA and a . 911 save percentage in 52 games (48 starts). But he did play three NHL playoff games, winning one and posting a 4.25 GAA and a 0.855 save percentage.
“We know he’s got his game in a pretty good place,” said Roof. “So, you look at the first chance, I think what’s going to be more important is trying to get the second chance through scrambling, through rebounds, because when he’s on his game, a lot of times his first shot doesn’t win.”
Experience can be a factor, and it’s very much on the Rangers’ side with the 24 active roster players accounting for a total of 866 NHL playoff appearances versus the Devils’ 25 totaling 479, of which Ondrej Balat represent 138.
For Devils, Jack Hughes, Dawson MercerAnd Igor SharangovichAnd Michael McLeodAnd Jasper BukvistAnd Kevin Bahl And Luke Hughes Never played an NHL playoff game. Play one brat. Damon Severson four. Nico Hischer And Miles Wood We have five.
Every Rangers player expected to play in this series has played at least 16 playoff games.
“Obviously a lot of the guys haven’t been in a game, so I think the advantage goes to them a little bit off the bat, because their guys lived it and they’ve been there,” Ruff said. “But we are, for the most part, a bunch of rebels… young rebels ready to go.”
But the Rangers know better than to bring in a great deal of experience. They were the inexperienced team that entered the first round last season against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who were loaded with veterans and Stanley Cup championship rings.
New York defeated Pittsburgh in seven games.
“What did you say last year, do you remember?” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. “Pittsburgh had more experience. It doesn’t mean anything. I really believe in that. He’s the one who’s ready to play for the next two weeks.”