5 Moments That Ruined New Jersey Devils Season

5. November 18th
Devils lose first game to Rangers in dramatic fashion

One of the very worst facts about this season is the Devils are on pace to get swept in the season series by their Hudson River Rivals, the New York Rangers. The Devils are coming off a Game 7 win in the first round last season, one of the sweetest wins in franchise history. After months of hearing complaining about this or that from those who root for a team in a train station, the Devils and Rangers rivalry looked ready for its next era.

Yeah, it didn't happen. Although, it did look like this year would be a very competitive race between the Devils and Rangers. Even with New York's massive start that had them on top of the division all season long, the first matchup was very evenly matched.

However, it ended in pure heartbreak for the Devils. They went into the third period tied at two, and the Devils actually took the lead with an Erik Haula goal just over a minute into the period. A minute later, Tyler Toffoli was in all alone and had a chance to make it a two-goal lead, but he was stopped by Igor Shesterkin.

About 10 game minutes later, Artemi Panarin scored immediately off a faceoff, beating Vitek Vanecek before he could react. Then, with about three minutes left, Jimmy Vesey came in strong and cleaned up another bad rebound by Vanecek, giving the Rangers the lead for good. It was the first nail in the coffin on this Devils season.