In a preseason matchup at Madison Square Garden, the New Jersey Devils defeated the New York Rangers 3-1. The game was the second-to-last on the Devils’ preseason schedule.
The Devils opened scoring in the first period when Arseny Gritsyuk set up Paul Cotter, who scored with a one-timer against Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick. The Rangers responded in the second period. Simon Nemec of the Devils attempted to clear the puck, but it deflected off Adam Edstrom and got past Jacob Markstrom, tying the game at one.
Early in the third period, Ondrej Palat redirected a shot from Dougie Hamilton to give New Jersey a 2-1 lead. Dawson Mercer secured the win for the Devils by scoring an empty-net goal with just over a minute remaining.
The Devils’ lineup featured Dadonov, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer, Ondrej Palat, Cody Glass, Patrick Brown, Paul Cotter, Luke Glendening, and Arseny Gritsyuk as forwards. Defense pairings included Topias Vilen with Brett Pesce; Jonas Siegenthaler with Dougie Hamilton; and Brenden Dillon with Simon Nemec. Jacob Markstrom started in net and was backed up by Nico Daws.
The Rangers’ lineup included Conor Sheary, Vincent Trocheck, Alexis Lafreniere, Will Cuylle, Mika Zibanejad, Gabriel Perreault among others. Their defense featured Vladislav Gavrikov paired with Braden Schneider; Carson Soucy with Will Borgen; and Robertson alongside Morrow. Goaltenders were Jonathan Quick and Igor Shesterkin.
After the game and ahead of their final preseason contest, attention also turned to reactions regarding a defenseman’s new seven-year contract extension.
