Rangers destroyed by Devils, Chris Kreider scratched

Every game the Rangers have played recently has had a seismic impact.

With the season already in limbo and 48 games left on the schedule, every time the Blueshirts stepped on the ice it felt like the biggest game of the year.

And yet the gravity of their situation only seems to weigh on the Rangers day after day.

Monday afternoon’s 5-0 disaster against the Devils at the Prudential Center was no outlier.

At this point, this Rangers team is expected to enter the holiday break five points out of a playoff spot.

The Devils and the red-clad fans at The Rock had their mouths watering when the Rangers arrived in Newark.

After their 5-1 victory over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden earlier this month, the Devils appeared to relish the chance to defeat their Hudson River rivals for a second time.

They’ll head to the Garden on Jan. 9, ready to do it again, and then again in April, when the Rangers may not even be in the cards for a playoff bid if they continue down this path.

For a team that has always been praised for its elite talent, the Rangers – with veteran Chris Kreider surprisingly healthy – couldn’t hold a candle to Devils star Jack Hughes.

Hughes, 23, scored two goals in his team’s fifth win in its last five games, moving the Devils ahead of the Capitals into first place in the Metropolitan Division standings before Washington played the Bruins on Monday night.

Devils fans were happy about the Rangers’ poor performance. They mocked Igor Shesterkin on the bench. The Jumbotron trolled the organization by playing a clip of MSG cheering on the Devils’ first pick of Hughes, which allowed the Rangers to take Kaapo Kakko at No. 2 before drafting the Finnish wing last week after a disappointing finish Seattle sent his term to New York.

New Jersey has now won four straight at home, while the Rangers haven’t won since Dec. 6 at MSG.

It is no longer possible to compare Rangers to the league’s top clubs as they have not been part of that conversation since the start of the season.

One step forward is always followed by two steps back. The fire to break through never burned strong enough.

The result is the Rangers’ second shutout loss in four games, something that hasn’t happened since the 2020-21 season when they were beaten twice in three contests in February.

The Rangers’ penalty kill has been the strongest aspect of their game all season, but it has waned in the last few games.

After giving up their first power play goal in six games to the Hurricanes on Sunday, the Blueshirts gave the Devils three goals – one from Hughes, one from Timo Meier for a 3-0 lead in the second period and one from Dawson Mercer in the The second third made the final score 5-0.

The Rangers took five shots in the first period, just four in the second and three in the third.

The Rangers finished the game with a lead of 12:6 and dangerous chances on the wrong end and could hardly defend themselves. The Devils threw in two more chips for fun in the third round.