Rangers dominate Devils, take 2-0 series lead back to the Garden

NEWARK — When this first-round playoff series between the Rangers and Devils began on Tuesday, it looked as if it could be a long one.

It might not be.

Chris Kreider scored two more power-play goals, and Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane each had a goal as the Rangers dominated their Hudson River rivals in another 5-1 win Thursday at Prudential Center to sweep the first two games in New Jersey and take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Kaapo Kakko also had a goal, and goaltender Igor Shesterkin made 22 saves as the Rangers, who won 5-1 in Game 1 Tuesday, took the first two games on the road. The series now shifts to Madison Square Garden for Game 3 Saturday night.

NHL teams that have won the first two games of a best-of-seven series on the road have won the series 85 times in 105 chances.

Vincent Trocheck, who screened Devils goaltender Vitek Vanecek on Tarasenko’s goal that tied it 1-1 at 5:53 of the second period, was asked if he was surprised by the dominance the Rangers have had over the Devils in the first two games.

“I mean, I don’t think anybody is expected to come in and beat a team 5-1, or whatever it was, in the playoffs against a really good team,’’ Trocheck said. “But I think we were expecting to play the way we’ve been playing.’’

The Devils scored the first goal on a power play by Erik Haula midway through the first period, but then the Rangers took the game over, scoring three times in the second period. Tarasenko’s second goal of the playoffs got them on the board, and then Kreider’s third and fourth of the playoffs put them up 3-1. All four of Kreider’s goals in the series have come on the power play.

“He’s one of the best, I think, not only in the league, but that I’ve ever seen,’’ Kane said of Kreider. “He’s able to get his stick on everything.’’

Kane, who had assisted on both Kreider goals, made it 4-1 at 6:34 of the third period on a brilliant individual effort when he stole the puck from Jesper Bratt in the neutral zone and weaved his way in on a two-on-one with Kreider. He drove the net and lifted a backhander over Vanecek (25 saves) for his first playoff goal with the Rangers.

“Seemed like I had a step on their ‘D’ men,” said Kane, who scored his 53rd career playoff goal to tie Jeremy Roenick for fourth-most by an American-born player. “It was nice to see it go in.”

Kakko scored off an assist from Filip Chytil at 13:05, and after that the game deteriorated into a penalty-filled affair. The Rangers’ Braden Schneider and the Devils’ Michael McLeod fought, and several players were sent off for misconduct penalties in the final minutes. Eight seconds later, Timo Meier and Adam Fox both got misconduct penalties — and Meier also got a cross-checking penalty.

The home fans started the game by bringing lots of noise. They chanted “Vitek! Vitek!’’ when Vanecek made a routine save early in the first period and made a point of trying to drown out the Ranger fans in the building.

The Rangers, though, had the better of play in the first half of the period, jumping out to an early shots-on-goal advantage, before Haula scored on a power play to give the Devils their first lead of the series.

The Rangers were unfazed.

“We weren’t too worried about the way we played,’’ Trocheck said. “I thought we played really well in the first and then] the power play broke through, and it was just a matter of sticking with it.’’

Tarasenko’s goal came on a shot through traffic that Trocheck either did or didn’t get a slight deflection on — Trocheck called it a “team goal’’ — and that got the Rangers on their way.

Miles Wood was called for slashing Artemi Panarin behind the Rangers’ net at 8:16 of the second after the Rangers passed the puck around awhile, Kane took a long shot from the top of the slot and Kreider got a stick on it, deflecting it past Vanecek at 9:57.

Meier hauled down Mika Zibanejad for a holding penalty at 15:19 and 41 seconds later, Kane sent a pass down to Kreider, set up just outside the goal post and he deflected the puck over Vanecek’s right shoulder for a 3-1 Rangers lead.

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.