Devils Dominate Rangers in Hudson River Rivalry

Published: Friday, October 16, 2026

by Jack Pine

NEWARK, N.J. – The New Jersey Devils (4-3-0) had their best offensive outing of the young season on Thursday evening, winning 7-1 and steamrolling the New York Rangers (6-3-0) in the first Hudson River Rivalry game of the season. The win gave head coach Sheldon Keefe his 300th victory as an NHL head coach. 

 

The game got off to a physical start, as the majority of the first period consisted of hits, blocked shots, and strong defensive play overall. Just over seven minutes in, Will Cuylle and Johnathan Kovacevic dropped the gloves, signaling a physical rivalry game that was ahead. 

 

Evan Rodrigues got the scoring started in the final minute of the period after swiping a cross-ice pass from JT Miller. Rodrigues closed the deal with a wrist shot for his second goal as a Devil.

 

After heading into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead, the Devils didn’t let the momentum slip away. Just 18 seconds into the period, Luke Hughes fired a wrist shot from the left side that deflected in, doubling the lead.  

 

At this point, the Rangers were reeling, but there would be no relief from the Devils’ offense. Four minutes later, captain Nico Hischier scooped up a deflected shot from the left post and sent the second chance shot home, extending the lead. 

 

Arseny Gritsyuk followed up just 31 seconds later, as he wristed home a second chance shot of his own, after the deflection found him in the right face-off circle. Less than five minutes into the second period, the fans knew the rout was already on. 

 

After letting up four goals in just over five minutes of game time, coach Mike Sullivan pulled Dylan Garand from net, replacing him with Spencer Martin. The change did not yield many positive results, however. 

 

12 minutes later, Hughes received a pass just beyond the left face-off circle before making a mad dash around the offensive zone before firing one home from the right post, giving Hughes his first multi-goal game in the NHL.

 

Hughes’ second goal of the night gave the Devils a commanding 5-0 lead heading into the second intermission. 

 

The final period began with many missed opportunities on both sides, as 15 shots were fired by the two teams in a game that had been decided long before. After seven minutes of near-misses, Stefan Noesen grabbed a pass in the left face-off circle from Amadeus Lombardi and let one loose to make it 6-0. 

 

Just over a minute later, Pavel Dorofeyev finally got the Rangers on the board with a power play goal from straight away, with the assist coming from Adam Fox and Alexis Lafrenière.  

 

Seven minutes later, Cody Glass scooped a loose puck in the right face-off circle and sent it past Martin. The final death blow ensured a dominant 7-1 victory in this rivalry matchup. 

 

The Devils will be back in action on Saturday afternoon, as they will travel to Washington, D.C. to take on the Capitals, following their 5-4 victory over the Canadiens on Wednesday. 

 

Jack Pine can be reached at john.pine@student.shu.edu 

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