Chris Kreider scores twice as Rangers cruise past Devils in Game 1

NEWARK — All season long, the Rangers were waiting for this moment. After getting all the way to the Eastern Conference final last season, before eventually bowing out to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Blueshirts hungered to get back to the playoffs and try to do it again.

At times, it seemed they slogged their way through the regular season, but when they finally got to play their first playoff game in 2023, against the rival Devils on Tuesday night at Prudential Center, the Rangers were clearly ready.

Two goals by Chris Kreider (both on the power play), one each from Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan Lindgren and Filip Chytil (into an empty net), plus a more-than-solid performance in net by Igor Shesterkin, led the Rangers to a 5-1 victory over the Devils in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Adam Fox had four assists for the Rangers, who took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Game 2 is Thursday in Newark.

“We had some lulls in the season,’’ Fox said. “I still think we had a great regular season 47-22-13, 107 points], but I think a lot of guys, this is what you want to play for. You want to get to this point, and you want to win a Stanley Cup.

“That’s the goal at the start of the year, so of course you’re not going to play [like you’re] in the playoffs 82 games a year, but I thought everyone really brought energy, was committed and willing to block shots and do the little things. And it paid off for us.’’

The Rangers blocked 23 shots, nine each in the first and second periods, and had to kill two early penalties, one to Vincent Trocheck for tripping at 1:15 of the first period, and the second to Fox, for holding, at 6:09. They killed both, without allowing a shot on goal, and seemed to draw some momentum from that.

In all, they would kill four penalties in the game, allowing one shot on goal, while also going 2-for-3 on the power play, to win the special teams battle.

“We had a real good first game, obviously,’’ Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. “I thought the first period was outstanding for us. We got a good jump from killing those two penalties early. I think that really got our game going, and then we skated well, and we managed the puck well, so was a good night for our group.’’

With the Rangers leading 4-0 late in the third, Shesterkin (27 saves) had his bid for his first career playoff shutout thwarted by Jack Hughes, who scored on a penalty shot with 2:46 left.

Chytil, who won 10 of 13 faceoffs, scored an empty-netter with 1:58 left to put it away.

Kreider’s first goal, which came at 9:30 of the first period and gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead, was his 35th career playoff goal and made him the Rangers’ all-time leader. He passed Rod Gilbert.

The Rangers opened the scoring on Tarasenko’s 42nd career playoff goal, at 4:58.

“Key [K’Andre Miller] and Artemi [Panarin] made a nice play to give me the puck in front of the net, and it’s nice to score this fast in the game — my first goal in the playoffs for the Rangers — and I think we had a very good game today,’’ Tarasenko said. “It’s nice to get a win, especially away.’’

The Devils’ Miles Wood was called for holding Panarin at 9:14, giving the Blueshirts their first power play, and Kreider’s goal put them up 2-0.

The play started with a faceoff in the offensive zone, and Kreider, a lefthanded shot, took the draw in the right circle. He won it cleanly, back to Panarin, who passed it to Fox, who shot a puck that Kreider deflected in.

The Devils, who had picked up their play in the second half of the first period, came out strong to start the second, and had the early territorial edge. But Shesterkin stopped everything. His biggest save came on a shot by Hughes, who capitalized on a turnover by Trocheck just outside the Rangers’ blue line to win the puck, and then sped around defenseman Niko Mikkola to get a shot off.

Shesterkin held his ground, and made the save in his midsection with 7:25 left.

The Rangers took a 3-0 lead when Lindgren drove down into the left circle, caught a pass from his defense partner Fox, and lifted a shot over Vitek Vanecek (18 saves) and up into the top corner at 16:57 of the second period for his third career playoff goal.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.