Tony DeAngelo’s offensive explosion powered the New York Rangers to victory.
DeAngelo notched his first career hat trick and added two assists, leading the Rangers to a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night. Rookie goaltender Igor Shesterkin secured his second NHL win.
“He’s always looking to make a play,” Ryan Strome said about DeAngelo’s standout performance. “He has all the intangibles you can’t teach in a defenseman. It’s special to see him out there.”
Artemi Panarin contributed a goal and two assists, while Jesper Fast and Chris Kreider also found the back of the net for New York. Kreider, Strome, and Mika Zibanejad each recorded two points.
Shesterkin made an impressive 46 saves in his second consecutive start.
“He really absorbs the puck well,” Rangers coach David Quinn said of Shesterkin. “He does a great job of not giving up those loose rebounds around the crease.”
Blake Coleman scored twice, and Kevin Rooney added a goal for the Devils, who suffered their third straight loss. Mackenzie Blackwood made 20 saves before being replaced by Louis Domingue at the start of the third period. Domingue finished with 11 saves.
DeAngelo completed his hat trick with two quick goals in a span of 2:54 during the second period, giving the Rangers a two-goal cushion. He became the first Rangers defenseman to score three goals in a game since Reijo Ruotsalainen on March 17, 1982.
“He’s had a pretty special season in many ways,” Quinn said of DeAngelo. “He has a unique skill set. His vision is incredible; he’s among the best passers I’ve ever seen. Tonight, everything just clicked for him.”
The Rangers took a 2-1 lead when Pavel Zacha made a costly mistake midway through the first period. After a Devils penalty expired, Zacha went to the bench for a stick replacement while the Rangers had possession in the offensive zone. Zibanejad spotted the opportunity and found DeAngelo alone in the slot for his first game goal at 9:47.
DeAngelo rounded out his three-point first period with a clever assist from his zone, sending a pass the length of the ice to Kreider, who slipped past the Devils’ defense. Kreider’s nifty move gave him his 300th NHL point and put New York up 3-1 at 12:16 of the first period.
“It’s mental mistakes, lack of focus,” Devils coach Alain Nasreddine said. “As much as we execute offensively, we’re not executing defensively. You can’t expect to win games when you give up six goals.”
Panarin opened the scoring with a powerful one-timer at 5:42 of the first, assisted by DeAngelo and Adam Fox. Panarin, who will represent the Rangers at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game later this month, continued his outstanding season.
Kevin Rooney tied the game at 1-1 at 8:06 of the first, jamming a puck past Shesterkin for his first goal of the season.
Coleman tied the game again with two consecutive goals. He redirected a shot late in the first period to pull the Devils within one, and then scored a controversial goal at 8:56 of the second period. The referees awarded the goal after ruling that Jacob Trouba had caused the net to come off its moorings.
Fast scored his seventh goal of the season at 12:56 of the third period, with Panarin earning his third point of the game on the secondary assist. This marked Panarin’s fifth multi-point game in the last seven contests.
Game Notes:
- Panarin recorded his 20th multi-point game in 43 appearances this season.
- The Rangers and Devils are two of three NHL teams (along with Vancouver) to have had two goaltenders aged 24 or younger appear in at least one game this season.
- The Rangers have won eight of their last nine games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- New York has scored at least three goals in 28 of 43 games during the 2019-20 season.
- The Rangers scratched defenseman Libor Hajek, forward Micheal Haley, and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev.
- Devils forward Jack Hughes missed his fourth straight game with an upper-body injury, and Jesper Bratt missed his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury.
UP NEXT:
- Devils: Visit the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.
- Rangers: Visit the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
