The New Jersey Devils got off the mat.
Nobody expected the upstarts from across the Hudson River to do it, but the Devils defied the odds and won two games at Madison Square Garden to send the series back to Newark tied, 2-2.
But perhaps more surprising than the results, was how New Jersey won.
A high-flying team that loves to generate chances off the rush, the Devils opted for a more pragmatic, structured approach in Games 3 and 4, putting the New York Rangers off their game.
Rangers vs. Devils pick
7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
During the course of the 82-game regular season, stylistic matchups and adjustments don’t really factor into betting on the NHL.
You could do your best to try and bake them into your handicap, but teams don’t really stray too far from their identity on a game-to-game basis.
But that all changes in the playoffs, when you’re playing the same opponent over and over again.
And in this series it seems that the Devils have made the right adjustments to the Rangers’ style.
After getting walloped by an aggregate score of 10-2 in the first two games of this best-of-7, the Devils looked lost.
They were all out of sorts in Game 1 and played with little discipline in Game 2, essentially handing the Rangers a 2-0 series lead.
There were no signs of a comeback, but then New Jersey adjusted.
The Rangers are masters at being patient, letting the game come to them and then taking advantage of any mistakes you make or opportunities they create.
If you try and force the issue against the Blueshirts, you run the risk of getting caught up the ice and allowing their clinical counterattack to do what they do best.
And even if they don’t score on an odd-man rush off a turnover, the Rangers get you scrambling and out of position, which increases the likelihood you’ll take a penalty and allow their daunting power play to get to work.
The Devils typically like to get up and down the ice, using their speed and creativity to create chances, but that was clearly not working through the first two games, so they opted for a more nuanced approach at Madison Square Garden and it seemed to pay dividends.
Not only did New Jersey win both contests, but it dominated at 5-on-5.
The Devils created 30 high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5 over the last two games and only allowed 12, showing that they’re not allowing the Rangers to pounce on any loose plays or mistakes.
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The goaltending battle has also taken on a different look since Game 2.
Vitek Vanecek wasn’t to blame for New Jersey’s 0-2 deficit, but Lindy Ruff’s decision to go to rookie Akira Schmid has paid off so far.
The 22-year-old netminder has been superb in back-to-back games and is keeping pace with Igor Shesterkin, who has also been splendid.
Everybody thought this series would be full of back-and-forth thrillers, but it’s now turned into a chess match with both teams trying to adjust to their opponent.
That has slowed down the pace and kept things tight, which makes Game 5 a good bet to go beyond regulation at a good number.
The Bet: 60-minute draw (+310, BetRivers)