Devils vs. Rangers: Ranking the 5 Best Players in the Series

Adam Henrique’s overtime goal that gave the New Jersey Devils the Eastern Conference title was the rookie’s fourth point in five games against the top-seeded New York Rangers. As it happened, in the six-game series, Henrique would either have one point on the night or the entire Devils roster was shut out.

But as appreciably productive and ultimately heroic Henrique was, there were skaters on both sides whose performance jutted even higher in the latest installment of the Hudson River Rivalry.

One likely producer and unlikely physical performer played a part in several key goals and elevated New Jersey’s special teams’ standards. Two other Devils skaters receiving negligible ice time likewise tuned the mesh in both tone-setting and book-closing moments.

And at least two Blueshirt blueliners could not be held liable for the multitude of meltdowns that brought on their club’s demise.

The top five performers in the conference final, plus two others who can join Henrique as an honorable mention, are encapsulated as follows.

Honorable Mentions: Bryce Salvador and Brian Boyle

Reputedly a stay-at-home defensemen, Salvador stuck to his day job long enough to log eight hits, block nine shots and charge up a plus-three rating. Although, he took direct action to help with that rating at the other end by tallying a goal and five assists for the Devils.

Boyle, meanwhile, dished out abundant physicality with 18 hits and was the only regular Rangers pivot to win the majority of his faceoffs in the series, claiming 46 out of 81.

5. Stephen Gionta

The Devils’ fourth-liner was all but invisible for the first four games, chiefly due to an inherent shortage of ice time. But he perked up when the time came to deliver the dagger. Gionta’s goal and assist bookended the scoring in New Jersey’s 4-3 victory in Game 5, which gave the Devils their first lead of the series.

He then assisted on Ryan Carter’s icebreaker in Game 6, eventually claimed in overtime by New Jersey, 3-2.

4. Ryan McDonagh

Although McDonagh was on the ice when Henrique clinched the conference for the opposition, it was one of only three New Jersey even-strength goals to occur on his watch.

For the most part, McDonagh’s valiance was rewarded, as evidenced by his team-leading plus-six rating in the series. He blocked 17 shots, committed three takeaways and assisted on three goals at the other end.

3. Dan Girardi

In addition to fulfilling his duties on defense, Girardi had a hand in five of the Rangers’ 14 goals against New Jersey.

He slugged home the icebreaker and game-winner in each of New York’s two 3-0 victories, and he also added three assists. One of them, a homeward-bound tip-in by team captain Ryan Callahan, tied Game 6 and ultimately forced overtime, giving the Rangers a fighting chance that most assumed was already gone in the previous period.

2. Ilya Kovalchuk

The Devils’ top point-getter throughout the playoffs once again piloted the offense through the third round. Kovalchuk’s sixth and final point of the series was the assist for the clincher, as his rebound converged with Henrique in front of a gaping goal-mouth for the 3-2 victory in Game 6.

New Jersey’s power play, which entered the series with a 17.3 percent conversion rate through the first two rounds, went 3-of-14 for 21.4 percent success versus the Rangers. Kovalchuk inserted two of those man-up goals and assisted on the other.

And in a series-shifting Game 5, although he was not credited with a helper on Ryan Carter’s clincher, he played a critical role in getting opposing backchecker Michael Del Zotto to relinquish the puck in the corner. While Kovalchuk blanketed Del Zotto, Gionta picked up the loose biscuit and made the decisive centering feed.

1. Ryan Carter

Three goals on five shots against Henrik Lundqvist? One has to be more than just lucky to do what Carter did in this series.

And what he did was make the most of a cumulative 49:02 of ice time in six games. In addition to his three goals, one of which stood as the winner in Game 5, Carter accrued a plus-four rating, seven hits, a takeaway and a blocked shot.

Again, that may not seem like much, but remember the fact that he was barely allotted an average of eight minutes played per night. And each of his goals came in New Jersey victories ultimately decided by a single strike, which speaks to his timeliness and proficiency in the clutch.