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Two games in, the New York Rangers have absolutely dominated the Battle of the Hudson.

The Rangers took a 2-0 series lead against the New Jersey Devils with a 5-1 win in Game 2 on Thursday night, having now outscored their rivals 10-2 in their Eastern Conference first-round matchup.

“Of course there’s frustration. We just got whacked for the second straight game, you know?” Devils star Jack Hughes said. “We’re not playing to our standard, and it’s biting us in the ass right now.”

The Rangers once again feasted on the power play, scoring twice with the man advantage for the second straight game. Rangers forward Chris Kreider has scored all four power-play goals for New York.

The Devils are 1-for-8 on the power play through the first two games, scoring once on the man advantage in Game 2.

“Special teams, I think that’s pretty much the story of this game,” said forward Timo Meier, the Devils’ high-profile trade deadline pickup who has yet to record a point in the series. “We’re not doing a good job on the power play, and they’re doing a good job on the power play scoring.”

The Devils also took some frustrating penalties, including in the attacking zone.

“I don’t think we’re playing very well. We’re taking terrible penalties. Everyone’s gotta play better,” Hughes said.

Things started off well for the Devils. Coach Lindy Ruff noted that the Rangers were able to take control of Game 1 after taking an early lead and put a premium on the Devils scoring first. Forward Erik Haula did just that at 11:44 in the first period on the power play.

The Rangers’ Vladimir Tarasenko evened the game at 5:53 of the second period with his second of the playoffs, beating goalie Vitek Vanecek (25 saves) from a distance.

After forward Miles Wood took an offensive zone penalty by slashing Artemi Panarin, it was Kreider scoring his third of the playoffs on the power play to give the Rangers the lead at 9:57. He struck again on the power play just over six minutes later, deflecting a pretty pass from Kane.

In the third period, Kane had a vintage moment: stealing the puck from forward Jesper Bratt and coming in on a 2-on-0 partial breakaway with Kreider. Kane cut in front of Vanecek and lifted the puck into the top of the net for his first of the playoffs.

Forward Kaapo Kakko added a goal later in the period to make it 5-1.

When scoring four or more goals, New York is a combined 35-0-0 (33-0-0 in regular season, 2-0 in playoffs) this season.

The rest of the third period saw the game devolve into a series of penalties, including one fight. In total for the game, the Devils amassed 71 penalty minutes while the Rangers had 65.

While the Rangers’ star players have made their presence felt in the series, the Devils haven’t gotten points from players like Meier, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer and Dougie Hamilton. They also haven’t scored an even-strength goal, after finishing fourth in the NHL in that category during the regular season.

“It’s frustrating, right? But there’s too many skill guys in this room for that to hold up for that long. We’ve just gotta stick with the process,” defenseman John Marino said.

The action moves across the Hudson to Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, with the Rangers firmly in control of the series.

Ruff said he hoped the team that set a franchise record for points in a season (112) shows up in Manhattan.

“This team has always been up for an incredible challenge. They’re going to battle to the bitter end. I’ve got a lot of faith in this team. I’ve got a lot of faith in the group that gave me everything they had the whole year,” Ruff said. “They’re facing some veteran players that have been through wars. There was some frustration tonight, which comes along with not being in a battle like this [before], but this group has got a lot of heart.”

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Bedard hurt on last-second faceoff, out for Sat.

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Bedard hurt on last-second faceoff, out for Sat.

ST. LOUIS — Chicago star Connor Bedard was injured on a last-second faceoff in a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Friday night and will miss the Blackhawks’ game Saturday.

With 0.8 seconds left, Bedard attempted to win the draw to give Chicago one last chance, but he was knocked down by Blues center Brayden Schenn. Bedard grasped at his right shoulder and immediately headed to the locker room, accompanied by a trainer, while his teammates remained on the ice and the bench.

“He won’t play tomorrow,” Chicago coach Jeff Blashill said of the team’s game at home against Detroit on Saturday night. “I won’t know more info tomorrow, so don’t ask me tomorrow. At some point through the weekend, I’ll know more, so I’d probably have more info come Monday.”

Asked whether Bedard’s injury would be only short term, Blashill offered few details.

“I’d hate to say that without knowing the information,” he said. “Until we get the information, again, he’s not going to play tomorrow.”

Bedard ranked fifth in the NHL in points heading into the game, and he assisted on both of Chicago’s goals in the loss. He now has 12 goals and 25 assists.

He was pushed into desperation mode when the Blues iced the puck and a half a second was put back on the clock. Blashill said he’d have to see the play again, but his initial impression was that nothing dirty occurred on the play.

“Honestly, I think it’s a freak accident,” Blashill said, “to be honest with you.”

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Canucks trade Hughes to Wild for 3 players, pick

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Canucks trade Hughes to Wild for 3 players, pick

Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes was traded to the Minnesota Wild, the teams announced on Friday. It was a blockbuster deal in which Vancouver received three roster players — defenseman Zeev Buium, center Marco Rossi and winger Liam Ohgren — as well as a first-round pick.

It’s one of the boldest moves in Wild franchise history, and signals GM Bill Guerin’s hunger to win now after signing Kirill Kaprizov to the richest contract in NHL history this summer. The Wild have not advanced past the first round of the playoffs since 2015.

Hughes, 26, is a 2018 first-round pick of the Canucks and considered one of the best defensemen in the league. He is one of six players already named to the Team USA Olympic men’s hockey team. Hughes won the Norris Trophy in 2023-24 when he recorded a career-high 92 points for a first-place Canucks team.

However, a Hughes trade became increasingly inevitable after the Canucks got off to a poor start. Vancouver entered Friday in last place in the Pacific Division at 11-17-3 with a minus-24 goal differential. Late last month, the Vancouver front office sent a memo across the league that it was open to trading any of its pending unrestricted free agents. That did not include Hughes, who is under contract through the end of next season.

However, it empowered many general managers across the league to inquire about Hughes, who did not have any trade protection.

The Canucks got plenty in return. Buium, 20, is a 2024 first-round pick of the Wild and can inherit Hughes’ role as a true power-play quarterback. Rossi, 24, and Ohgren, 21, are also former first-round picks of the Wild.

Though Hughes never asked for a trade, many around the NHL believed he did not want to re-sign in Vancouver after his contract expired in the summer of 2027. The prevailing belief is that Hughes preferred to play for a United States-based team on the East Coast. Hughes spends his offseason in Michigan. His brothers, Jack and Luke, play for the New Jersey Devils.

According to sources, the Devils did make a trade offer for Hughes to reunite him with his two younger brothers. However, New Jersey couldn’t match what Minnesota gave up.

Minnesota began engaging with Vancouver about a week ago, according to sources, and the deal came together quickly. The Canucks received at least six other offers, according to sources, but Vancouver believed Minnesota presented the strongest overall package that can best set the team up for the future.

Hughes is not eligible to sign an extension with the Wild until July 1.

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San Jose State receiver Scudero to enter portal

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San Jose State receiver Scudero to enter portal

San Jose State wide receiver Danny Scudero, the leading receiver in FBS this season, will enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens in January, he announced Friday.

The 5-foot-9, 174-pound redshirt sophomore caught 88 passes for 1,291 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first season with the Spartans, becoming a semifinal for the Biletnikoff Award and earning first-team All-Mountain West honors.

Scudero is expected to be one of the more coveted wide receivers available when the transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2 and has two more seasons of eligibility remaining.

Scudero spent two years at Sacramento State before transferring to San Jose State after the 2024 season. He broke out with 189 receiving yards to open the season against Central Michigan and surpassed 100 yards in five more games, including a career-high 215 and two touchdowns against Hawaii.

Scudero’s 88 receptions ranked fourth-most in FBS, and he leads all receivers this season with 16 catches of 30 or more yards.

The Spartans produced the No. 14 passing offense in FBS this season but went 3-9 in their second year under coach Ken Niumatalolo.

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