New Jersey Devils Fall Flat In 4-1 Loss To New York Rangers

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 31: Igor Shesterkin #31 of the New York Rangers makes a save against Nick Bjugstad #72 of the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden on March 31, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images Tonight was the third and final meeting between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers. In a season where just about everything has gone wrong, games against the Rangers were an oasis in a desert.

New Jersey had won the previous two meetings by identical 6-3 final scores, and each contest was about as lopsided as those scores would indicate. But tonight was a different story, as the Devils just could not get anything going in a lifeless 4-1 loss at Madison Square Garden. I’m sure when the NHL scheduled this game all those months ago, they envisioned two bitter rivals jockeying for playoff position, setting up a contest with a ton of juice.

Needless to say, that did not materialize. The Rangers were the first team in the Eastern Conference to be eliminated from playoff contention, while the Devils have been effectively eliminated for a while now. As a result, there was just no electricity in this game whatsoever.

I suppose the Rangers had a tiny little pep in their step (which is way more than they had in the previous two matchups), but nothing to write home about. The biggest source of energy tonight came in the third period, when we saw an honest to goodness goalie fight. Paul Cotter ran Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers skaters all jumped him, and Shesterkin swooped in and threw a punch of his own at Cotter.