Devils Down 2-0 in Series After Game 2 Loss | GAME STORY

A playoff series is first to four. And the Devils have some work to do to get there.
Down 2-0 in their First Round series with the New York Rangers, the Devils' backs aren't entirely against the wall, but it's getting a little too close for comfort.
Game 2 started with a formidable performance, the first-time jitters looked done away. The team was more engaged, physical, and accessing their speed and their special teams were creating momentum. They went into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead off an Erik Haula power play goal.
But then the Rangers blew the game wide open.
Penalty trouble plagued the Devils, as did the Rangers power play.
"Special teams, that's pretty much the story of this game," Timo Meier said post-game, "We're not doing a good job on the power play, and they're doing a good job on the power play, scoring. That puts you down a couple of goals. We've got to clean up some things."
New York built their 3-1 lead after two periods and turned it intoa 5-1 game after 60 to take both Game 1 and 2 at Prudential Center.
"It's a great challenge," Meier continued, "this is what we've worked for all year, we're staying positive, we're going to move on and obviously look to correct some things, but now it's go-time, go win the next game."
The series now moves to Madison Square Garden for Game 3 and Game 4, where the Devils will have to rely on their road game to keep them in the series.

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The series moves to New York next, with Game 3 on Saturday night at 8 p.m. You can catch it on ABC and ESPN+
Here are some observations from the game...
- Lindy Ruff spoke to the team after the Game 2 loss, reminding the team how they started their regular season, losing their first two games and then going on their incredible run. They've had these moments before in the season and responded.

"We talked about the way we started the year, going 0-2, and what we did after that," the head coach said post-game, "This team has always been up for an incredible challenge and they're going to battle to the bitter end."

Those comments were echoed by John Marino in the locker room after the game:

"Coach said it best after the game, we started the season 0-2 and then went on a run. There's a lot of hockey left, a lot of things to learn from these two games. We've just got to worry about the details." - The tide began to turn in the second period where the pendulum of momentum kept swinging back and forth. After opening the scoring in the first period and a quick pace in the opening 10 minutes of the second, the momentum swung back and forth with big saves on both ends of the ice. But it was the Rangers who grabbed hold of their momentum with two goals, including a power play goal, to flip the game on it's head and build a 2-1 lead on the home team.

" - Erik Haula, on multiple occasions in the final stretch of the season, expressed how he was putting it upon himself to make a difference. He had six goals in the final seven games of the regular season. He's a veteran, who has never missed the playoffs in his career and scored a quintessential playoff goal tonight, poking in a puck with commotion in front of Igor Shesterkin.

The celebration was indicative of the magnitude of the moment - despite the rest of the way the game played out - the yelp of elation from Haula, the pile up on him and Ondrej Palat jumping into Haula's arms.

The goal was Haula's second playoff power-play goal of his career. - The Devils have been unable to solve Rangers forward Chris Kreider on the New York power play. The veteran forward has scored four power-play goals in the opening two games of the series, including two again tonight.

"He's great in front," said John Marino, who played over five minutes on the penalty kill tonight, "they just have so many options that it's hard to worry about one single guy, they spread it out pretty good too." - Lack of discipline once again played a major factor in letting the Rangers take over the game. In Game 1, the Devils took three penalties, of which the Rangers scored on two. While tonight, the Rangers built their second period 3-1 lead with two power-play goals. New Jersey was called for seven penalties tonight.

"It's tough when you're taking as many penalties as we do against this kind of team," Jesper Bratt said, "they have a good power play, they showed it, and obviously our power play got a goal, but we have to step up and do a better job on our special teams." - Lindy Ruff, trying to spark some momentum for his team changed the lines in the third period, reuniting Jesper Bratt on Nico Hischier's wing alongside Timo Meier, while Jack Hughes was flanked by Ondrej Palat and Erik Haula. - Tempers began to really flare after the Rangers fifth goal when Michael McLeod and Braden Schneider dropped the gloves, both players sent off for the remaining 6-plus minutes of the game.

Timo Meier would soon follow McLeod to the locker room, given a misconduct penalty, along with Rangers Adam Fox. - The coaching staff made a couple of changes heading into this game, notably bringing in two players, Yegor Sharangovich and Brendan Smith in place of Jesper Boqvist and Jonas Siegenthaler.

Bringing Smith into the lineup injected a bit more playoff experience to the lineup.