For the second time in two weeks, the New Jersey Devils (21-5-1) travel across the George Washington Bridge to take on their cross-town rival, New York Rangers (14-10-5). The first meeting between the two went the Devils way as they overcame a 2-0 deficit to win the game 5-3.
Last time they met the infamous win streak was going on, but that has since been snapped. However, the Devils have maintained their dominance and have gone 5-2-0 since then. The Rangers have been playing better as of late going 4-2-0 since losing to the Devils and winning their last three games, highlighted by an impressive wins over the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche. The Rangers currently hold the second wild card slot and need all the wins they can get in order to catch the Devils.
Projected Lineups
New Jersey Devils –
Forwards:
Tatar-Hischier-Bratt
Haula-Hughes-Mercer
Wood-McLeod-Zetterlund
Sharangovich-Boqvist-Holtz
Defense:
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Graves-Marino
Smith-Severson
Goalies:
Vanecek
Schmid
New York Rangers –
Forwards:
Lafreniere-Zibanejad-Kakko
Panarin-Chytil-Goodrow
Kreider-Trocheck-Vesey
Blais-Brodzinski-Gauthier
Defense:
Lindgren-Fox
Miller-Trouba
Hajek-Schneider
Goalies:
Shesterkin
Halak
What To Watch For
Nico Hischier
Devils’ fans love Jack Hughes and what’s there not to love? Yes, he has been on a heater and deserves all the credit in the world, but so does captain Nico Hischier.
Hischier ranks third on the team in points (28) and has four points in his last five games. He also has scored goals in two-straight games and had a goal in the first meeting with the Rangers. New Jersey is thriving thanks to their youth and Hischier has been a large part of it.
Mika Zibanejad
The Rangers are not starved for offense, but they are not finishing at the rapid rate they were last year. In anddition, only two players have eclipsed the 10-goal mark. But one player that drives the offense is their star center Mika Zibanejad.
He leads the team in goals (15) with 10 of them coming on the power play. Over the teams last five games, he had four goals, three assists, and seven points. The Devils will look to get their best shutdown pair on him in order to limit his time and space.
Where To Watch?
Puck drop for tonights game is at 7:00 P.M. and can be found on NHL Network and MSG.