Experience Gives Rangers An Edge
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are here and the New York Rangers will take on the New Jersey Devils in one of the most highly anticipated first-round series in recent memory. The rivalry between these two franchises is fierce and is set to grow in intensity over the next couple of weeks. The last time these teams met in the playoffs was all the way back in 2012 when the Devils knocked the Rangers out of the Eastern Conference Finals. But unfortunately for New Jersey, the team hasn’t won a playoff series since. New York, on the other hand, did find some playoff success last season. And the Rangers will look to use that experience to give them an edge against a young, skilled Devils team.
Experience is quite possibly the most important thing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Rangers learned that lesson last season, after falling to the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the Conference Finals. The Rangers may have had a home-ice advantage in the series, but Tampa Bay had a drastic advantage in playoff experience. Many of the young Rangers players had never been to the postseason, so 20 games of experience in 2022 were huge for the team.
Devils’ Lack of Playoff Experience
New Jersey is in a position much like the Rangers were last year. Eight of the Devils players have never been to the playoffs, including Jack Hughes, Dawson Mercer, and Nathan Bastian. And other players including Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier have played in just one postseason series. That doesn’t necessarily mean that these great players won’t play well when it counts. It just means we don’t know how they will react to a much faster and more physical game.
But the biggest worry for the Devils in terms of playoff experience comes between the pipes. Goalie Vitek Vanecek has had a great season for New Jersey but has not come through when it has counted most. Vanecek has played in only three playoff games in his career and has been pulled from two of them. He has a playoff save percentage of .855 and a goals-against average of a whopping 4.25. Clearly, the Devils will need him to be much better against the Rangers. New Jersey will need to lean heavily on Vanecek if they are going to find success against the reigning Vezina winner in Igor Shesterkin.
Rangers Style of Play More Suited for Playoffs
The New York Rangers play an extremely physical game led by captain Jacob Trouba. They are a big team and are not afraid to sacrifice their bodies to make a play. The Rangers rank in the top ten in the NHL in hits per game, compared to the Devils who are a smaller team and rank 29th in the league in hits. Incredibly, the Rangers have thrown over 600 more body checks this year than the Devils. Expect physicality to be a huge part of New York’s game plan going into the series.
Looking at the Regular Season
The Devils had an incredible regular season in which they racked up a franchise record, of 112 points. They finished just one point shy of first place in the Metropolitan Division. They began the year extremely hot and were in front of the Rangers for the entire year. Head to head, they beat New York in three out of four contests. On the surface level, it seems like the Devils are the obvious pick in the series. But look a little deeper and the numbers tell a different story.
The Rangers added two superstar wingers at the deadline in Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko. Playing into the team’s experience advantage, those two players have won a combined four Stanley Cups. These additions, among others, have made the team much better than they were for most of the season. And they were added to an already surging Rangers team that has the best record in the Metropolitan Division since January 1st.
Last Word
The Devils are the favorites to win the series in Vegas. But the Rangers’ experience gives them a crucial edge in the series. The Devils have had the best year in their franchise history, but the Rangers have had a better record over the last four months. There is so much to be excited about in this series between two of the league’s best. So expect a war across the Hudson that will amplify one of the biggest rivalries in hockey.
Main Photo: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
