Overview

After a hard-fought 4-3 loss to the Islanders on Sunday, the New Jersey Devils will take on the New York Rangers in their final meeting of the season today. The Devils are in one of their most frustrating skids of the season, falling by close margins to the Panthers and Islanders and losing in blowout fashion to the Bruins over their last three games. They will look to end this losing streak by repeating their performance in the 7-4 win on March 22nd. 

The Devils currently hold a record of 24-39-6 and are in eighth place in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers, on the other hand, own a record of 44-20-6 and sit in second in the Metro Division.

Projected Lines and Pairings

Devils’ Lines

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Rangers’ Lines

Forwards:

Kreider-Zibanejad-Vatrano

Panarin-Copp-Brodzinski

Lafraniere-Chytil-Gauthier

Motte-Goodrow-Reaves

Defense:

Lindgren-Fox

Miller-Trouba

Nemeth-Braun

Goalies:

Shesterkin

Georgiev

Keys to the Game

Jack Hughes’ Absence

After suffering from a knee-to-knee collision with Oliver Wahlstrom that took him out of Sunday’s game, Jack Hughes’ status is up in the air. Hughes’ absence would be a devastating blow to a team whose scheme relies on his presence. It is worth noting, however, that Hughes did play part of a shift after the collision, so the injury shouldn’t be too serious.

Hughes has put up fantastic numbers this season, scoring 26 goals and 56 points in 49 games played. Additionally, Hughes has great possession metrics, with a Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of 58.2 and an expected-goal percentage (xG%) of 52.29.

Shesterkin Needs to Pick Up the Pace

Until a few games ago, Ranger netminder Igor Shesterkin has been on a tear, though his Hart Trophy stock has begun to fall recently, He’s been a funk as of late, averaging a paltry .902 save percentage (SV%) over his last ten outings. Last time he faced the Devils, he let up five goals for a SV% of .792. Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews have pulled away in the Hart Trophy race, but Shesterkin would like to finish strong down the home stretch.

Tonight’s game can be seen on MSG+ at 7:00 PM EDT.