Devils 4, Rangers 0: Onto the next one

The Devils put forth their most dominant game of the series and advanced to the 2nd round as a result.

Follow along on Twitter @ToddCordell | @InfernalAccess

Be sure to join the Discord channel to talk hockey, and everything else, with our writers and subscribers.

---

A few notes from a remarkably impressive Game 7 victory over New York:

The Devils put on a clinic

Considering the circumstances, I thought the Devils played by far their best game of the series. They were absolutely terrific from start to finish.

The Devils did not play the least bit scared or conservative early. They dominated the puck and relentlessly hounded the Rangers whenever they didn’t have it. It reminded me a lot of the Jurgen Klopp gegenpress during Liverpool’s peak years.

The second they lost possession they immediately smothered the Rangers high up the ice and won the puck right back in prime areas.

Fatigued Rangers defenders had no time to look for or complete a clean exit pass; they simply had to dump the puck out to relieve pressure. At that point, the Devils quickly regained possession and went right back on the attack.

There were a couple hiccups along the way – and some unnecessary penalties took some of the life away at times – but it was honestly hard to fathom the dominance we saw for so much of the night.

It felt like every five minutes the ESPN broadcast team would put up a graphic showing how many inner slot shots and/or rush opportunities each team had.

It was always extremely one-sided to the tune of, say, 11-1 in favor of the Devils. You'd think it was a preseason game where one team dresses its full NHL roster and the opposition’s best players are aging PTOs and prospects a year or two away from being ready.

While the Devils did sit back a little bit in the 3rd period, I think it was tactical. They’d absorb pressure and invite the Rangers defenders into the play. When they won the puck back, they could quickly spring their dynamic forwards on 2-on-1s what felt like every other shift.

Forget about what the shot clock said. The Devils absolutely dominated the chances. NaturalStatTrick had their xG share above 72%. Evolving-Hockey had their xG share at nearly 74%. And MoneyPuck had the Devils a hair under 90% on the deserve to win meter.

It was as dominant of a performance as you’ll see in a Game 7; especially between a pair of teams separated by five points over 82 games.

I mean, look at this. Clinical.

John Marino was a life saver