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Banged-up Rangers fall to Devils, 5-2

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Lee Stempniak celebrates a go-ahead goal in the second period to give the Devils a 3-2 lead.Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images

Lee Stempniak celebrates a go-ahead goal in the second period to give the Devils a 3-2 lead.

Henrik Lundqvist stole the Prudential Center’s nickname on Tuesday night. The King was The Rock. Unfortunately, the Blueshirts were outworked in the critical second period of a 5-2 loss in Newark and could not overcome the absence of an extra injured starting defenseman.

Without captain Ryan McDonagh (neck spasms, jaw contusion), Rick Nash (bone bruise) and last-minute scratch Marc Staal (lower-body tweak), Alain Vigneault dressed four rookies in afternoon call-up Brady Skjei, forward Marek Hrivik, defenseman Dylan McIlrath and forward Oscar Lindberg.

The Rangers (34-20-6, 74 points) had a first-period response to an early deficit but that was it, falling to the Devils (30-24-7, 67 points), who snapped a three-game losing streak and sealed it with a Sergey Kalinin breakaway goal late in the third period.

Rangers forward J.T. Miller, who had been robbed by a Cory Schneider stick save with 9:05 left in the second period, tried to wake up his teammates after a horrible all-around middle period by fighting Kalinin with one second left. He was ejected after the fight for the entire third period, however, with a five-minute match penalty under NHL Rule 46.15 for having tape on his right hand and cutting Kalinin as a result during the bout.

The Rangers killed off that five-minute power play to open the third period, with Skjei playing a critical role on the top defensive pairing with Dan Girardi, and then also killed off a penalty by Derick Brassard, who wore an “A” as an alternate captain in the absence of Staal and typical fill-in Nash.

It's a good ole fashioned Rangers-Devils game as J.T. Miller and Sergey Kalinin throw some punches.Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

It’s a good ole fashioned Rangers-Devils game as J.T. Miller and Sergey Kalinin throw some punches.

Lundqvist made key third-period stops on Jordin Tootoo and Travis Zajac at the circle and in the slot. But Schenider denied Viktor Stalberg in front with 2:53 to play and dropped the Rangers to 1-2-1 to close out these rivals’ four-game season series.

The Devils dominated the Rangers in the second period, outshooting them, 17-5, and scoring twice on goals by Kyle Palmieri on the power play at 10:28 and Lee Stempniak at 18:06 to put the Blueshirts down, 3-2, entering the third.

If not for Lundqvist, the score easily could have been 7-2. The Rangers surrendered odd-man rushes like they were handing out tickets at a toll booth. The King opened the period with a breakaway glove save on Adam Henrique, stopped Palmieri with the glove on a two-on-one with 12:02 left.

He made three straight saves on Devils Damon Severson, Jacob Josefson, and Joseph Blandisi with his teammates hemmed in their own zone, before Mats Zuccarello’s tripping penalty gave way to Palmieri’s goal. Then he denied a John Moore breakaway with 5:45 left in the period by closing the pads.

Henrik Lundqvist allows four goals but makes 31 stops as he was peppered by the Devils all night.Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images

Henrik Lundqvist allows four goals but makes 31 stops as he was peppered by the Devils all night.

The second period was a total collapse from an impressive Rangers finish to the first period, after which they led, 2-1. New Jersey’ Tyler Kennedy deflected a Severson shot home at 4:47 to open scoring after McIlrath and Dan Boyle got discombobulated on a defensive pairing that Vigneault eventually, mercifully broke up.

But the Blueshirts scored twice in 45 seconds to take the lead: Kevin Hayes finished a Viktor Stalberg rebound off the rush for Hayes’ fourth goal and seventh point in the last seven games at 8:17. Then Dominic Moore, who was called out Saturday by Vigneault for his recent downturn in play, drove the net to deflect Keith Yandle’s point shot by Schenider at 9:02 off a Keith Yandle point shot and Hrivik’s secondary assist – the rookie’s first NHL point in his second career game.

Moore’s goal, just his second point in the last 19 matches, went in off his left skate, but officials did not review the goal for any unusual length of time.

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