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Key takeaways after Rangers lose 3-1 to Devils with roster cuts looming
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- Key takeaways after Rangers lose 3-1 to Devils with roster cuts looming
Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
Perhaps the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils were in a rush to get the regular season started. Because they sure played a quick-moving preseason game Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, one that the Rangers lost 3-1 despite surrendering only 12 shots on goal.
The Devils (3-2-1) scored twice on six shots in the third period to break a 1-1 tie. Ondrej Palat scored a power-play goal at 2:44 to make it 2-1. And Dawson Mercer scored into an empty net on a shot from beyond center ice with 1:23 remaining in regulation to finish the Rangers off.
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Adam Edstrom scored New York's only goal, and didn't even shoot the puck to record his first of the preseason. New Jersey defenseman Simon Nemec tried to clear the puck out of his own end of the ice, but instead shot it off Edstrom's skate and between the pads of Jacob Markstrom , who was caught off guard at 13:30 of the second period.
That goal tied the game 1-1. New Jersey opened the scoring in a fast-paced first period that featured very few play stoppages. Matt Rempe 's turnover in the offensive zone led directly to Paul Cotter 's goal off the rush at 16:58.
Rempe won a battle for the puck along the right-wing boards, but his pass back to the blue line split rookie defensemen Brendan Morrow and Matthew Robertson . New Jersey's Arseny Gritsyuk took off the other way, and his cross-ice pass was buried past Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick by Cotter.
The Devils owned the puck in the first period, forcing the Rangers to defend in their own end most of the opening 20 minutes. However, the Rangers didn't allow clear shooting lanes and the Devils managed only three shots on goal — which was still one more than the Rangers.
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However, the home team flipped the script in the second period, out-shooting the Devils 12-3 and posting a 73.2 percent expected goal share, per Natural Stat Trick . Still, the only they scored was off a fluky bounce. Markstrom made a pair of solid saves late in the period, point-blank against Edstrom at 17:20 and then against Conor Sheary on the doorstep 90 seconds later.
Palat's eventual game-winning goal in the third period came on New Jersey's only power play — the Rangers only had one, as well. The veteran Devils forward had his stick on the ice to redirect Dougie Hamilton 's low shot between Quick's pads.
Alexis Lafreniere nearly tied the game at 17:17, bursting behind the defense before his backhand attempt off the rush was stuffed by Markstrom, who finished with 21 saves.
The Rangers (2-2-1) have one more preseason game, Saturday afternoon in Boston against the Bruins, before opening up the 2025-26 season schedule at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. They don't face the Devils again until March 7.
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Here are three takeaways after the Rangers dropped a 3-1 decision to the Devils in this preseason contest.
1. No Bread for you
There was some concern when the Rangers took the ice for warmups and Artemi Panarin was not out there with his teammates. The Breadman was expected to make his preseason debut after missing the first four games due to a lower-body injury. But instead, he was held out of this game, too, as a precaution.
Panarin returned to practice last Friday and was a full participant at the morning skate Thursday. Hence the surprise, and concern, when he was a late scratch.
"I told you guys, he's day to day, and we were going to err on the side of caution, him and J.T. [Miller]. And that's where we are right now," Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said postgame .
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Miller sustained a lower-body injury and didn't play Thursday.
Sheary moved up from the third line to take Panarin's place on a line with Vincent Trocheck and Lafreniere. Edstrom bumped up from the fourth line into Sheary's spot next to Juuso Parssinen and Taylor Raddysh . Jonny Brodzinski drew into the lineup on the fourth line and skated alongside Noah Laba and Rempe.
2. Vincent Trocheck brings snarl, skill combination to Rangers preseason
Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
Don't tell Trocheck this was just a preseason game. It was the Devils on the other side of the ice, and the 32-year-old center only knows one way to play the game. Full on.
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Trocheck led the Rangers with three shots on goal and six hits. He also made the passes on each of New York's best scoring chances — those mentioned above by Edstrom, Sheary, and Lafreniere.
He also drew the ire of Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in the final minutes of regulation and the pair were assessed coincidental minor penalties for roughing. Sitting in the penalty box, Trocheck removed his bubble mask (used to protect his broken nose) and helmet and barked at Siegenthaler.
"I think that's a big part of his game," Sullivan explained. "I think he's at his best when he's in the middle of it. That's the type player he is, he's a fierce competitor. … He plays the game with a lot of courage."
There's a reason it can be argued that Trocheck remains the heartbeat of the Rangers.
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3. Next round of Rangers cuts could come before final preseason game
Sullivan is eager to get his opening-night roster in place. The Rangers currently have 26 players and need to get down to the maximum 23 by next week. It's ecpected they'll cut four players and start the season with 22 on the roster.
"Ideally we'd like to get a little closer to the roster, and , obviously, I'll talk to [Rangers general manager Chris Drury] tonight and tomorrow morning, and pout a gameplan together for that," Sullivan stated after the loss to the Devils.
Each of the young players on the bubble played his fifth straight preseason game Thursday, though none noticeably stood out. Laba, who leads the Rangers with five points (one goal, four assists) this preseason, started on the fourth line, but moved up in the third period to take extra shifts with Parssinen on the third line. They teamed with Gabe Perreault — who had a quiet night — for one extended O-zone shift, buzzing the Devils net 13 minutes into the final period.
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Morrow logged 15:07 TOI and was on ice for all four goals (three against, one for) in the game.
"We're trying to give some of these guys as long a look as we can and give them every opportunity to play so that we can get more and more familiar with their play and how they might fit within the roster right now," Sullivan said.
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