Devils clinch playoff berth
we don’t have the horses to get there now,’” Richter told the Daily News Wednesday night. “They were hit by injuries. ‘Can we make a run for it? Potentially.’ But if they’re really gonna stabilize the organization and have long-term success, you need to re-tool, and that’s what they’re doing.”
Richter spoke after being honored alongside Graves by Ice Hockey in Harlem for their contributions to the program.
“There’s gonna be times where you have to take a step back to take two steps forward, and I know I’m excited, I know the organization’s excited,” said Graves, a special advisor to the Rangers’ hockey and business operations who says he watches every game, even if he has to catch up the next day.
The next phase of the club’s rebuild is near. The Rangers, whose 2-1 loss to the Islanders Thursday dropped them to 0-5-1 at Barclays Center, finish the season Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.
The deadline saw the likes of Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, J.T. Miller and Michael Grabner shipped out, and more familiar faces could be gone this summer after the team’s second playoff miss in 13 seasons, an era defined by very good hockey but marked with a conspicuous absence of a Stanley Cup.
“I certainly could not be prouder of the group since I’ve been back a part of it since ’05, from all the gentlemen who wore that jersey so proudly and played incredible hockey,” Graves said.
For 30 years, Ice Hockey in Harlem’s mission has been “to improve the social and academic well being of children from the Harlem community.” Richter and Graves have been involved with the program THE DEVILS are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
Patrick Maroon set up second-period goals by Pavel Zacha and Miles Wood and the Devils ended a fiveyear postseason drought with a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Fan Appreciation Night Thursday in Newark.
Keith Kinkaid, the mainstay in goal since the end of January, made 31 saves as the Devils won their fourth straight and extended their points streak to eight games (7-0-1). He preserved the lead with a stop in close on Auston Matthews with just over seven minutes to play.
New Jersey is 10-2-1 in its past 13 in going from the worst team in the Eastern Conference a year ago to one that will get a chance to start playing for the Stanley Cup next week.
After it was over, the players went to center ice and since their playing days.
“Obviously we all know hockey and the life skills it teaches us, but this program in particular has given the Harlem community opportunity to play a game that’s fun, wonderful, to learn life skills, to teach them teamwork, discipline — all the things they need to learn to go to the next step of life,” Richter said.
“If nothing happened other than these kids getting the chance to experience the joy of playing this game, it would be worth it. But there’s so much more involved in terms of life skills and the opportunities and the growth as human beings. Boys and girls go through this program and come out changed for the better.” saluted the fans who were standing for much of the final minute.
William Nylander scored on a power play in the first period for Toronto to ice his second straight 20-goal season. Frederik Andersen was outstanding, making 37 saves, including saves on breakaways by Taylor Hall and Michael Grabner in the big second period.
The loss was only the fourth in 13 games (9-4) for the Maple Leafs, who will face either Boston or Tampa Bay in the first round.
New Jersey will have to wait for its opponent to be decided.
While the Devils had the majority of shots for the first 27-plus minutes, they fell behind 1-0 when Nylander scored from the right circle 12 seconds after Nico Hischier was called for tripping.
Zacha tied the game at 7:55 of the second period. Maroon put the Devils up almost minutes later. —AP