The New Jersey Devils hit the road and are crossing over to the other side of the George Washington Bridge. Awaiting them is their cross-town rival New York Rangers. The Devils are coming off a crushing defeat to the Washington Capitals, whereas the Rangers are coming off a thrilling victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
Match Overview
The Devils played the Capitals four times already before having to face the Rangers once. New Jersey have won 10 of their last 15 games. In this span, they’ve beaten stiff competition, but have also been shutout four times. Also, they are coming off a crushing defeat to the Capitals in what was a very winnable hockey game.
Despite the Rangers having a 13-9-1 record and sitting in a playoff spot, the team is looking to shake up its roster. Reports have come out about the team willing to listen on Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba. They are coming off a thrilling victory on Saturday, but prior to that were on a five game losing streak. To make matters worse, the Rangers scored more than two goals just once in that losing skid.
Projected Lineups
New Jersey Devils
Forwards
Meier-Hischier-Noesen
Palat-Hughes-Bratt
Cotter-Haula-Mercer
Bowers-Dowling-MacDermid
Defense
Dillon-Hamilton
Hughes-Pesce
Siegenthaler-Kovacevic
Goalies
Markstrom
Allen
New York Rangers
Forwards
Panarin-Chytil-Cuylle
Berard-Trocheck-Lafreniere
Kreider-Zibanejad-Kakko
Edstrom-Carrick-Vesey
Defense
Lindgren-Fox
Miller-Schneider
Jones-Trouba
Goalies
Shesterkin
Quick
What to Watch For
Impactful Depth
Each team has their special blend of stars to watch out for. For the Devils, there is no shortage of firepower with Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt. On the other side, you always have to be aware of Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox from the back end. Both teams defensively will be aware at all times when those guys are on the ice. It’s the impactful depth that can make a difference.
For the Rangers, Will Cuylle is a player the Devils will need to watch for. He is second on the Rangers in goals (nine) and second in points (20). The key thing is he’s getting it done during five-on-five play. Considering a guy like Chris Kreider has just nine points, a guy like Cuylle is an impactful piece.
For the Devils, Stefan Noesen is that guy. Noesen is second in goals on the roster and fourth in points. Like Cuylle, Noesen has played on the top two lines and has been a force to be reckoned with on the power play. The star players will always be difference makers, but the depth players can be too and that’s what these two have done for their respective teams this season.
Devils Power Play Versus Rangers Penalty Kill
Yes, the Rangers are good on special teams per usual. Luckily, the Devils also posses tremendous special teams. New Jersey’s penalty kill is ninth in the league. They’ve been a force to be reckoned with despite allowing three power play goals last game. The Rangers power play ranks 11th in the league and can still be a weapon, especially with Panarin and his ten points leading the way. But, it’ll come down to the Rangers penalty kill against the Devils’ lethal power play.
The Devils power play is the best in the league, with a 33.1% success rate. Against them will be the sixth-ranked penalty kill. They kill penalties, but aren’t super opportunistic with just two shorthanded goals. If the Rangers become undisciplined in this matchup, the Devils have the weapons to capitalize. The Devils power play has been huge in recent games, coming up clutch on numerous occasions.
Where to Watch
Monday night’s puck drop is at 7:00 pm ET and can be found on MSG.