Devils get their first preseason win, 3-1 over Rangers | GAME STORY

NEWARK, NJ – In front of a home crowd at the Prudential Center, the Devils got into the win column for the first time this preseason with a 3-0 victory over their rival, the New York Rangers. Brian Halonen, Nathan Légaré and Kevin Labanc each scored a goal in the win.

“I thought (our team performance) was all there, but beyond that we had pretty good goaltending to say the least,” head coach Kevin Dineen said after the game about the win. “I think we had some nerves before we started. (The Rangers) were strong early, but I thought we had those setbacks. Their defense was so tight and we scored two goals that looked very, very similar. I think so.’ Then we just felt like we found our groove and it felt really good the whole game.

Speaking of great goaltending, Jeremy Brodeur, son of Devils Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur, stopped 29 of the 30 shots he faced.

“I feel like a big part of my hockey is based on having fun,” Brodeur said after the game. “I had fun from the moment I stepped on the ice to warm up. I feel like it went smoothly the entire time.”

Dineen shared that after the game, Brodeur was scheduled to only play two periods, but after he played particularly late in the second, they decided to keep him out for all three periods. Brodeur's strong play started early as he faced five shots in the first five minutes of the game, including a breakaway from Adam Sykora* that he stopped (*no relation to Petr Sykora).

The Devils were on the field after seven minutes. Brian Halonen scored on a breakaway against Jonathan Quick. Credit goes to Max Willman, whose stretch pass from the Devils' own zone helped get Halonen going. Ten minutes later, the Devils' second goal looked similar to the first. Nathan Légaré started a breakaway and beat Quick to score, increasing New Jersey's lead to two. As with the first goal, a stretch pass helped set up the score, this time Samuel Laberge found his linemate.

“On the other hand, it was a good goalkeeper,” said Légaré about his victory over Jonathan Quick in a breakaway group. “I just saw the goalkeeper, I just have to keep going and good things will happen.”

Something that connects the goals even more closely? The fact that the stretch pass was made with the same stick even though the primary assists came from two different players.

“Willman had broken his stick in that transition, grabbed one of Laberge's sticks, so he actually made that pass with Laberge's stick,” Dineen explained. “So we give (Laberge) about a point and a half for that play.”

Another strong chance for the Devils came seven minutes into the middle frame. Filip Engaras intercepted the puck and kept it in the zone. Xavier Parent regained possession and saw Chase Stillman take the lead all by himself. Parent quickly passed it to Stillman, who tried to redirect it, but Quick prevented the chance.

As the game progressed, the tension increased and the first scrum of the game broke out late in the middle frame. The Devils and Rangers played four-on-one after Parent and Casey Fitzgerald were sent off for brawling. As time ran out in the second period, Halonen and Adam Erne dropped the gloves. The fight brought Halonen one assist away from a Gordie Howe hat trick.

“Physicality is something I believe I can bring,” Halonen shared about his physicality tonight. “I think that’s something the Devils are looking for in me.”

Two minutes into the third period, the Devils extended their lead with a power play goal from Kevin Labanc. After the faceoff, Labanc passed to Hardman, who passed it back seconds later and pulled Labanc's shot past Quick. Labanc, one of three Devils players on a PTO in training camp tonight, was a key part of New Jersey's top power play unit tonight.

“I used him in a lot of key situations,” Dineen said of Labanc after the game. “He had a lot of composure. He had a chance at the start of the game and he almost made the same move at the end, so we were thrilled with the way he played.”

With 1:42 left in the third period and with the additional attacker, the Rangers got into the game with a goal from Anton Blidh. New York left its net empty until time expired, but New Jersey held on and secured the win, its first of the preseason. The win was also the Rangers' first loss this preseason, as New York entered the evening with a 3-0 record.

Although it was a preseason game, the Devils players felt the rivalry atmosphere throughout the contest.

“You hear the fans getting into it and in the national anthem, and you know for sure it's a rivalry game,” Halonen shared.