from Mollie Walker of the New York Post,
From strutting out of Prudential Center to slinking out of it, the Rangers have been turned upside down by the Devils.
The same Rangers team that came into the same building just last week and looked like they weren’t going to break a sweat in the first round ventured back for a pivotal, series-swinging Game 5 and were blown out, 4-0, by the Devils on Thursday night.
The Broadway Blueshirts who danced around and had their way with the Devils in Games 1 and 2 in Newark were shut out by a rookie goaltender and are now facing elimination Saturday night at the Garden.
“Got to win one game,” Chris Kreider said. “Got to go home. We’ve had a terrific fan base all year, we let them, we let ourselves down at home. So it’s up to us to show up and play the way we want to play from puck drop. … It’s time to step up and do those things.”
Oh, how the mighty Rangers are falling, while the timid Devils have awakened.
The Rangers have drifted far away from what they do best as this series has progressed.
The Devils, on the other hand, have gotten the hang of this playoffs thing.
Highlights are below.
from Arthur Staple of The Athletic,
After two games of this first-round series against the Devils here fans were musing whether the team could fit Tarasenko and Kane under the cap for next season and beyond.
After Game 5, a 4-0 loss in which Gallant praised his teams effort and battle level, were back to wondering: What will this team look like if the Rangers bow out?
The stakes are certainly higher than last season. Gallant has posted the best winning percentage of any Rangers coach through two seasons, but Drury and owner James Dolan have switched their focus from just getting in to just win the whole thing, baby.
Gallants shortcomings have been on display these last three games, in which the Rangers have scored only two goals. He is not a master in-game tactician; the Rangers coaching staff makes its plan and sticks to it, with the biggest tweaks coming on a couple guys swapping lines when things are going poorly. The Devils shook off two horrible performances in Games 1 and 2 and Lindy Ruff had his team hounding pucks in all three zones to get the Devils speed game jumpstarted.
The Rangers response to falling behind early in Game 5 was to have their big-name players try to do too much, resulting in a bevy of overzealous minor penalties and zero goals.
Given the roster situation, the easiest change for Drury to make would be behind the bench. In December, there was a big name available: Barry Trotz. Hes now the GM of the Predators. That leaves just one idle, big-name coach, who would need to be cleared by the NHL to resume his coaching career. Joel Quenneville was banished from the league for his handling of the Kyle Beach assault with the Hawks over a decade ago and Quenneville has been on the banned list since late 2021.
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