The New Jersey Devils had a chance to eliminate the New York Rangers in Game 6 on Saturday, but they suffered an ugly 5-2 loss to set up a winner-take-all Game 7. Penalties were a major problem for the Devils, especially early in the game, and head coach Lindy Ruff wasn't happy about them.
“I thought the penalties took our best players away from the game. They had to spend too much time on the bench. That hurt us,” said Ruff, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.
Ruff also took a little jab the officiating.
“The penalties hurt us. Some of the calls I didn't like, but you have to get through them.”
The Devils were whistled for four penalties in the first 23:20 of Game 6. The Rangers cashed in on a power-play goal in the first period, tying up the game at 1-1. It was New York's first power-play goal since Game 2 of the series.
The Rangers then scored four more unanswered goals to take a 5-1 advantage, with the Devils scoring a late power-play goal to settle on the 5-2 final score.
The good news for New Jersey is Game 7 will be on home ice at the Prudential Center. The Devils earned home ice in this series by putting up 112 points in the regular season, five more than the Rangers' 107. It should be quite the atmosphere in New Jersey for this matchup, and Ruff is hoping his team will be a bit more disciplined in Game 7. He'll also be hoping for a more generous whistle from the men in stripes.
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