The Devils are dominating yet again early in Game 1, but while they’re directing the puck at the Rangers' net and have a 1-0 lead thanks to an Ilya Kovalchuk power-play goal, they’re still not capitalizing on their superior puck possession time.
New Jersey Devils Dominant After Period 1, But New York Rangers Hanging Around
New Jersey has fired 23 shots toward Henrik Lundqvist, but only eight of those shots have actually reached the goal, including the one that beat the Rangers goaltender. Six shots have been blocked -- obviously, New York’s shot-blocking has been a storyline heading into this Game 2 -- but nine shots off New Jersey sticks completely missed the net.
The Rangers haven’t been able to generate offensive zone time at all, and as we prepare for the fifth period of this Eastern Conference final, they have some serious questions to ask themselves about their ability to compete at the same speed as these Devils despite their 1-0 series lead. But if New Jersey continues to fail to capitalize on its dominant forecheck and superior ability at winning board battles, the Devils will allow the Rangers to hang around. You don’t want to leave the Rangers hanging around.
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