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Devils effort goes to waste as Rangers shutout New Jersey 3-0 in Game 1

May 15, 2012, 1:36 PM ET [84 Comments]
Todd Cordell
New Jersey Devils Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Though the New Jersey Devils carried play for the majority of the game, they could not capitalize on their chances and the New York Rangers did just that. That was the difference, and that's why the Rangers now hold a 1-0 series lead. Here are some notes on last night's game.

- I was very impressed with the Devils effort level yesterday night. They won most of the puck battles along the boards, but in most cases failed to generate grade A chances, and when they did Henrik Lundqvist didn't allow them to convert. They did a great job of pinning the Rangers in their own zone, but at the same time the Rangers did a great job of keeping New Jersey's shots, for the most part, to the outside. Credit to them for blocking a ton of them, too.

- How can you create chances against a team that blocks every shot they can? Quick, hard passing. If the Devils move the puck D-to-D and up and down the boards, the Rangers will be very much spread out and will have a tougher time getting in shooting lanes. That's how you can clear some shooting lanes.

Another thing the Devils can do: if the Rangers are in the way, blast the puck as hard as you can right at them. Make them pay a big price for blocking shots. As 'Dobber' from DobberHockey.com said in his article this morning, would blocking a few extra shots be worth it if they lost someone like Dan Girardi or Ryan McDonagh for any period of time? Not a chance. If they want to constantly get in the way of Ilya Kovalchuk one-timers, so be it. Eventually someone will get hurt. The Rangers won't change now, so make them pay the price for their style of play.

- Zach Parise is a stud. Every shift he plays like it will be his last. He leaves nothing on the ice and his compete level is just a notch above everybody else. There are not many, if any, players in the NHL that work as hard as he is. One guy who is definitely in the conversation, though, is Rangers Captain, Ryan Callahan. He works his ass off every shift, too. I could watch players like Callahan and Parise play all day everyday.

- Chris Kreider and Carl Hagelin are really giving the Devils defense fits with their speed. The Devils need to adjust to those two, and start clogging up the middle and forcing them wide instead of skating towards them to play tight defense and having Kreider and Hagelin blow right by them. That would certainly help limit their chances.

- Adam Larsson played a very good game last night, in my opinion. He was composed, and was good at both ends of the ice. He made a few nice rushes with the puck, which is good to see - means he's confident in his abilities, and drew a penalty. He even saw some powerplay time which is rare for him. Obviously Pete DeBoer has liked what he's seen of late from the 19-year old rookie. I think he's going to be more important to the Devils success in this round than people realize.

- All year long the Devils have been a resilient group. When they have fallen behind, especially in the post-season, they have shown they can come back to win games. When they suffer a tough or disappointing loss, they always seem to come back with a better effort the next game. They can't afford to have that change now. It will be interesting to see if they can tie the series up tomorrow to gain home-ice advantage.

- There have been some reports as of late suggesting that Devils Assistant Coach, Larry Robinson, may be heading to Montreal in some capacity next season. The New York Post is reporting that those rumors are false, and that Robinson has told them he has no interest in going there. That's certainly good news for the Devils, and young defenseman like Adam Larsson in particular. If he'll stick around with New Jersey for a few more years he could play a big role in turning Larsson into a star.


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