NEW YORK — Tony DeAngelo recorded his first career hat trick and added two assists as the New York Rangers beat the New Jersey Devils 6-3 on Thursday night.
Artemi Panarin had a goal and two assists, and Jesper Fast and Chris Kreider also scored for New York.
Kreider, Ryan Strome and Mika Zibanejad each had two-point games for the Rangers. Igor Shesterkin made 46 saves and collected his second NHL victory in as many starts.
Blake Coleman scored twice and Kevin Rooney added a goal for the Devils, who lost their third straight. Mackenzie Blackwood made 20 saves before being replaced by Louis Domingue at the start of the third period. Domingue finished with 11 saves.
DeAngelo completed his hat trick by scoring two goals in a 2:54 span in the second period, giving the Rangers a two-goal lead. He became the first Rangers defenceman to score three times since Reijo Ruotsalainen did it on March 17, 1982.
The Rangers took a 2-1 lead when Pavel Zacha committed a costly mistake midway through the first period. Shortly after a Devils penalty expired, the young forward tried to get a stick replacement from the bench while the Rangers had possession in the offensive zone. Zibanejad recognized the opportunity and found DeAngelo all alone in the slot for his first goal of the game at 9:47.
DeAngelo capped off his three-point first period with a crafty assist from his own zone. He sent a pass the length of the ice and Kreider collected the puck behind the Devils defence. The power forward recorded his 300th NHL point with a nifty deke that gave New York a 3-1 lead at 12:16 of the first period.
Panarin opened the scoring with a powerful one-timer at 5:42 of the first. Panarin has been superb for New York and will represent the team at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game later this month. DeAngelo and Adam Fox assisted on the play.
Kevin Rooney scored his first of the season when he jammed a puck past Shesterkin at 8:06 of the first, tying the score at 1-1.
Coleman knotted the game at 3-3 with consecutive goals. Late in the first period, Coleman redirected a shot past Shesterkin to pull the Devils within one. Then, at 8:56 of the second period, he scored a controversial goal upon review. The referees awarded the Devils a goal because Jacob Trouba caused the net to come off its moorings.
Fast netted his seventh of the season at 12:56 of the third period. Panarin tallied the secondary assist and his third point of the game, giving him five games with three or more points over the last seven contests.
NOTES
Panarin recorded his 20th multi-point outing in 43 games this season. … The Rangers and Devils are two of three NHL teams (along with Vancouver) that have had two goaltenders 24-years-old or younger appear in at least one game this season. … The Rangers have won eight of their last nine games against Metropolitan Division opponents. … New York has tallied at least three goals in 28 of 43 games during the 2019-20 season. … The Rangers scratched defenceman Libor Hajek, forward Micheal Haley and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev. … Devils forward Jack Hughes missed his fourth straight game with an upper-body injury and Jesper Bratt missed his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury.
UP NEXT:
Devils: At St. Louis Blues on Saturday.
Rangers: At Washington Capitals on Saturday.
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Scott Charles, The Associated Press