G5 New Jersey Devils vs New York Rangers: Get in the driver's seat

Despite falling into an early 0-2 hole, the Devils have a golden opportunity to put the Rangers on the brink of elimination in Game 5.

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A few notes to get you set for Game 5 of New Jersey vs New York:

The process is there

The Devils were not great in the first two games of the series. While their 5v5 numbers were largely fine, they took way too many penalties and showed little resistance while trying to kill them off.

Opportunistic finishing – particularly on the power play – is the Rangers’ bread and butter and the Devils fed right into it. From that respect, they got what they deserved.

Desperate for a pair of wins in New York, the Devils really tightened the screws. They did a better job on the penalty kill – although they still took too many penalties – and dominated at both ends of the rink at 5v5.

Two games is two games but the Devils averaged 17 high-danger chances per 60 minutes in New York. That led all teams over their last two games.

Generating more offense, particularly off the rush, did not come at the expense of their defensive play. Quite the contrary. The Devils gave up only 6.88 high-danger chances per 60, a remarkably strong number.

Combine the improved chance generation with air-tight defense and the Devils controlled a whopping 71% of the high-danger chances at 5v5.

They now lead all playoff teams in expected goal share in that gamestate, which is crazy to think about considering they dropped the first two games by eight goals in aggregate.

This is a long-winded way of saying the Devils are now getting the chances they need to beat Shesterkin while also giving the Rangers next to nothing at the other end. This has led to Gerard Gallant shuffling his lines around and more or less saying nobody beyond the kid line is doing what they’re supposed to right now.

If the Devils can stick to their guns at 5v5 – something they’ve done all season – and show a little more team discipline, there is no reason this train can’t keep rolling in Game 5. Don’t change a thing.

Is it Timo Time?