Georgiev Gets 3rd Career Shutout, Rangers Beat Devils
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Alexandar Georgiev stopped 33 shots for his third career shutout, leading the surging New York Rangers to a 4-0 win over the short-handed New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
New York improved to 4-0-1 in its last five games. Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist, and Jesper Fast, Adam Fox and Brady Skjei also scored.
Georgiev had 11 saves in the first, 10 in the second and 12 in the third to get New York's first shutout of the season.
Mackenzie Blackwood had 19 saves for New Jersey, which went 0 for 8 on the power play while giving up two short-handed goals. It lost for the fourth time in six games.
The Devils had five power plays in the second period, including one that carried over from the final minute of the opening period. However, they managed just three shots on goal — all by Nico Hischier. New Jersey had six shots go wide, and an attempt by Jesper Bratt went over the net on the third man advantage.
The fifth penalty, a double-minor on Libor Hajek for high-sticking Wayne Simmonds, began in the final minute of the second.
Zibanejad, playing his third game after missing 13 with an injury, made it 2-0 with a short-handed goal from the left side on a give-and-go with Brendan Lemieux at 2:35 of the third.
The Devils got a sixth power play at 5:21 when Chris Kreider was whistled for a five-minute major for boarding Kevin Rooney, and both also got majors for fighting.
Once again, the Rangers took advantage on the Devils' opportunity. Fast converted a pass from Jacob Trouba on a 3-on-1 rush at 5:52 for his third of the season.
Skjei added an empty-netter with 2:42 left.
When the Devils did get shots on goal at even strength, Georgiev was there to make the save. He denied a backhand by Travis Zajac about six minutes into the second, a shot by Taylor Hall from the left circle with 6 1/2 minutes left and Matt Tennyson's follow seconds later.
The Devils outshot the Rangers 11-7 in a tight first period. Zajac had a shot hit the goalpost less than two minutes in, and Lemieux did the same on a rebound of a shot by Trouba a couple minutes later.
Fox got the Rangers on the scoreboard on a power play. He got a cross-ice pass from Kaapo Kakko from the right side near the boards to the left side of the goal and quickly put it past Blackwood for his fifth with 7:15 left in the first.
NOTES: New York F Filip Chytil, a first-round pick in 2017, played in his 100th career game. ... Fox has two goals and four assists in his last seven games. ... Devils F Jack Hughes was out with a lower-body injury, missing what would have been his second meeting against the Rangers and Kakko — who went No. 2 in this year's NHL draft after New Jersey selected Hughes with the first pick. Hughes, who was injured when he took a shot off his leg on Thursday at Montreal, has four goals and seven assists in 24 games. Kakko has six goals and five assists in 22 games. ... Rooney returned to the lineup in Hughes' place after missing seven games with an upper-body injury. ... New Jersey was shut out for the fourth time this season.
UP NEXT
Rangers: Host Vegas on Monday night.
Devils: At Buffalo on Monday night.
(© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
