NEW YORK — They flung their gloves off almost in unison, skimming over to their opponents as the jumbotron lights at Madison Square Garden slowly faded from the blue center ice logo.
Devils forward Curtis Lazar made the first move when he lunged toward Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey’s chest. The 6-foot-1 Barclay Goodrow, who lost the meaningless opening faceoff two seconds prior, bypassed centerman Chris Tierney for 6-foot-4, 230-pound defenseman Kevin Bahl at the blueline — which left Tierney no choice but to duke it out with the always-physical Jacob Trouba. John Marino coasted in the neutral zone before finding K’Andre Miller in New York’s end.