Pavel Dorofeyev's Power-Play Goal Provides Lone Silver Lining in Rangers' Blowout Loss to Devils

In a game that quickly turned into a rout, the New York Rangers had little to celebrate during their matchup against the New Jersey Devils. The Devils opened the scoring with just 30 seconds left in the first period after J.T. Miller turned the puck over in the defensive zone, allowing Evan Rodrigues to beat goaltender Dylan Garand.

That goal sparked a New Jersey onslaught. Just 18 seconds into the second period, Luke Hughes extended the lead. Less than four minutes later, Nico Hischier netted his fourth goal of the season. Only 31 seconds after that, Arseny Gritsyuk scored, ending Garand's night prematurely. Garand stopped just nine of the 13 shots he faced, and his replacement, Spencer Martin, fared little better, surrendering three more goals in the 7-1 blowout.

Dorofeyev Ends Goal Drought

While the Rangers' overall performance was forgettable, there was one positive takeaway: Pavel Dorofeyev found the back of the net. Much has been made about his slow start with New York, as he had gone six consecutive games without a goal, managing only one assist in that span.

Head coach Mike Sullivan has recently altered Dorofeyev's role to spark his offense. At even strength, Sullivan promoted him to the top line alongside Mika Zibanejad and Gabe Perreault, swapping places with Alexis Lafreniere. On the power play, Dorofeyev was moved to the second unit for two games before returning to the first unit against the Devils, where his position shifted from the right flank to the bumper spot.

The adjustment paid off. Dorofeyev scored the Rangers' only goal of the game on a power-play deflection, with assists from Lafreniere and defenseman Adam Fox. It was his second goal of the season.

Though the final score was far from what the Rangers wanted, seeing Dorofeyev finally score had to be encouraging. The goal should alleviate some pressure, and the hope is that he can start finding the net consistently in the games ahead. Dorofeyev was brought in to boost the offense, and the power-play tweak—where he excelled during his time with the Vegas Golden Knights—worked for at least one night.