The New Jersey Devils have moved to the brink of their first playoff berth since 2012 by forgetting the big picture and concentrating on the little things.
There is nothing more important than the here and now
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Taylor Hall and rookie Will Butcher scored two goals apiece, and the Devils scored three times in the opening 10:40 to power their way to a 5-2 victory, their third straight and sixth in seven.
”It just shows our readiness to start the game,” goaltender Keith Kinkaid said after making 22 saves. ”We talked about getting off to a good start and we were ready at the drop of the puck and excited that we’re in control of our own destiny.”
Coupled with the Flyers’ loss to the New York Islanders, the Devils (95 points) moved into the top wild-card spot ahead of Philadelphia (94) in the Eastern Conference.
New Jersey can clinch a playoff spot either with a win or two overtime losses in its final two games, any combination by Florida in its last three games that cost it two points, or if the Flyers lose their final two games.
The Devils are also one point behind Pittsburgh and Columbus in the Metropolitan Division. They also have two games left and play each other Thursday.
”We’re all trying to perform and get better and trying to improve and tighten things up,” Devils veteran center Brian Boyle said. ”We’re being challenged to improve. We haven’t played necessarily good in certain areas but we understand the big picture and how we have to tighten that stuff up. We’re a motivated group.”
Travis Zajac ignited a three-goal first period with a tap-in tally 25 seconds after the opening faceoff, and New Jersey’s power play took over after that.
Butcher, who had never scored more than once in a game, got both with the Devils using an extra skater, while Hall scored his first on a power play and got his 39th of the season on a second-period penalty shot that easily beat Henrik Lundqvist.
”Maybe he thought I was going to go five after scoring a few lately there
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Ryan Spooner and Kevin Hayes scored for the Rangers, who will miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Lundqvist made 39 saves.
Forward Chris Kreider said the Rangers didn’t get out of their own zone well, they didn’t generate much offense and took too many penalties.
”It makes for a pretty easy night for the opposition and a pretty hard night for us,” he said.
This rivalry game was over early.
Zajac started the roll by carrying the puck from his own end into the Rangers’ zone and dropping a pass to Blake Coleman. The forward flubbed his shot, but the puck deflected off the Kreider’s stick to Zajac who tucked it into an open net.
Hall got his 38th after the Rangers failed to clear a puck in front of stick-less Lundqvist.
Butcher scored from the right point 70 seconds after Rangers defenseman John Gilmour was penalized for shooting the puck into the crowd.
Spooner deflected Jimmy Vesey’s pass into the top of the net with 2:13 left in the period, and he hit the post before the period ended.
Butcher extended the lead to 4-1 just under seven minutes into the second period with a shot from the left point, and Hall beat Lundqvist over his glove after Brady Skjei prevented his shot on a breakaway. It marked the second time this season Hall has had four points in a game, one less than his career high.
Hayes scored on a giveaway in the third period.
NOTES: The Rangers played without forwards Mats Zuccarello (lower body) and Jesper Fast (groin). The two important penalty killer were hurt in the win in Carolina on Saturday. Coach Alain Vigneault said Fast would probably not play again this season … Zuccarello is day to day for the last two games. … Hall has had 27 multipoint games in what has been a career season. He has 93 points, three off the Devils’ single-season record set by Patrik Elias. … Butcher’s 44 points are the most by a Devils’ rookie defenseman in a season. Slava Fetisov had 42 in 1989-90.
UP NEXT
Rangers: At Islanders on Thursday night.
Devils: Play regular-season home finale against Toronto on Thursday night.
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More NHL hockey: Carson Wentz was having an MVP-caliber season before a torn ACL forced him to the sideline, where he watched Nick Foles lead the Philadelphia Eagles to their first Super Bowl victory.
Wentz has a mission to return for Week 1 and is already ahead of schedule after being cleared for 7-on-7 work last week. Still, he has a way to go before he is cleared for full activity.
"It's just a process
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Wentz's comeback comes with interesting circumstances: He has no pressure to return right away because the Eagles can lean on the Super Bowl MVP to start the season. And that's not necessarily a threat to Wentz, whose friendship with Foles doesn't have the strain seen in other famed NFL tandems like Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers or Joe Montana and Steve Young.
"We've become so close ever since he first got here," Wentz said. "Developed a real friendship, a real relationship, more than just a working relationship, a true friendship."
Wentz admits it was difficult to see someone else hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy on stage first. But the two quarterbacks are more like brothers than competitors for the starting job.
"It's human nature to want to be on that podium and be the guy," Wentz said. "You grow up wanting to be there, but not being able to be up there, there's nobody I'd rather have up there than Nick."
Eagles coach Doug Pederson has made it clear there's no quarterback controversy in Philadelphia since the minute Foles finished a sensational performance in the 41-33 win over the Patriots. When he's healthy
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"I still believe this is Carson's team," Pederson said Tuesday. "There are no egos involved. They're in this thing together. Both support each other. Nick supported Carson during the season last year, and then Carson turned around and supported Nick at the end of the year.
"Their relationship has carried over into this spring and summer, and it's really good. I see them working in the classroom. I see them working on the field. They keep talking. They want to get better individually. They want to get our team better. And so it's been a really good, really good dynamic between those two."
Foles has maintained since he replaced Wentz last December that he understands his role is the backup. He wants to start again in the NFL, but was happy to stay in Philadelphia.
"I've shown what I can do," Foles said. "I love the team and I love the city. I'm excited for Carson to get back."
While he was focused on rehabbing and returning to the field as quickly as possible, Wentz pursued other interests during the offseason. He went to Haiti for the second time in less than a year in April 鈥?teammates Zach Ertz, Nate Sudfeld and Rashard Davis joined him 鈥?and launched plans for his Audience of One Foundation to build a sports complex in that country.
"Being able to partner up with Mission of Hope in Haiti and to see how everything is so Christ-centered, they had a sports complex in thought so we were on board for that," Wentz said. "I know how sports changed my life, how so many doors have opened up and how my faith has grown through guys who have mentored me in sports. Just to know that can be given and provided to the people in Haiti
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Wentz then held the inaugural AO1 Foundation charity softball game at the home of the Philadelphia Phillies on June 1, drawing more than 25,000 fans who came out to see the Super Bowl champs compete in a home run derby 鈥?left guard Stefen Wisniewski was the winner with a fantastic power display 鈥?and a game that featured Foles and 23 other Eagles.
"The brotherhood we have on this team, we're so close," Wentz said. "We genuinely care about each other. A lot of unselfish players. To see these guys come out (to support me) is so humbling."
Before the game, Wentz also revealed a 25-foot food truck named "Thy Kingdom Crumb" that will begin delivering free food to people in the Delaware Valley in August. The partnership between AO1 and The Connect Church aims to provide food not only to people in need but others in the community also.
"The goal is to provide something different, to provide the atmosphere to just love on people," Wentz said. "I think things that are free these days are kind of confusing. There's no strings attached with this. I think people will just see and experience something different with that."
Make no mistake, despite all his outside interests, Wentz is determined to help the Eagles become the ninth team to repeat as Super Bowl champs.
"The biggest thing is the culture of excellence that we've created," Wentz said. "I don't see why the sky can't be the limit for us again. Our roster is rock-solid and our camaraderie and our culture is still rock-solid and growing. We have high expectations."
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