First Period:

• Jack Hughes (5) Assists: Sami Vatanen (1)

Second Period:

• Chris Kreider (11) (Power Play) Assists: Pavel Buchnevich (10), Ryan Strome (8)
• Chris Kreider (12) Assists: Ryan Lindgren (9), Ryan Strome (9)

Third Period:

• Chris Kreider (13) Assists: Filip Chytil (2)
• Pavel Buchnevich (7) Assists: Alexis Lafreniere (3)
• Brendan Smith (2) Assists: Kevin Rooney (3), Phillip Di Giuseppe (6)
• Alexis Lafreniere (4) Assists: Mika Zibanejad (6)

Stats:

Adam Rotter:

• Well this game had a lot going for it. The Rangers have a brutal first period, Mika Zibanejad gets benched to start the second, Chris Kreider scores three in a row, Igor Shesterkin gets hurt and Alexis Lafreniere fired a missile to get his third of the year.
• The big thing coming out of this will be the health of Igor Shesterkin. Things will only get tougher for the Rangers if they are without Shesterkin for any amount of time. Alex Georgiev is a solid goalie, but Shesterkin is the #1 and the Rangers will miss him if he is out.
• The Devils controlled the first period and if not for Shesterkin, the Rangers would have been in much worse shape. You need big players to come through at big times and Chris Kreider continues to rise to the moment. He certainly had his struggles to start the year, but he’s stepped up in a huge way while the Rangers are without Artemi Panarin and seemingly without Mika Zibanejad as well.
• Zibanejad picked up an assist on Lafreniere’s rocket, but he was benched for half the second period and saw limited time throughout the rest of the game. David Quinn has tried everything, from changing his linemates, to playing him constantly and today it was the opposite. I’m not sure what the benching will do for him, but it does send the message to everyone that if you struggle you will see the bench.
• 6 points in the last 6 games for Alexis Lafreniere as he made a terrific pass to Pavel Buchnevich and showed the kind of shot he had on his goal. I have a feeling that this won’t be the last multi-point game that Lafreniere has.
• Kaapo Kakko could be back on Saturday and Jacob Trouba could be back early next week. The Artemi Panarin situation is still TBD.
• So it’s two in a row for the Rangers and they get the Devils again on Saturday and then the Pens on Sunday. If the Rangers want to make a run, this is when it really has to start. Like the game against Buffalo, this wasn’t a great 60-minute performance by the Rangers, but they are getting timely saves, timely goals and finding ways to win.