Early Saturday afternoon, the New Jersey Devils will look to keep their momentum by defeating the New York Rangers. The Devils have won their two most recent games, both against the Minnesota Wild.
The Devils are currently 40-29-7, which currently has them third in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers hold a record of 36-32-7, which has them fourth in the Metro.
Match Overview
After a poor stretch in the middle of March, the Devils have seemed to pick things back up a little bit. They are 3-1-1 in their past five games and should be fresh, having not played since Monday. The Rangers have been up-and-down all season, but won their most recent outing at home following a 1-1-1 California road trip.
The Devils have, of course, been decimated by injuries as of late, losing both Hughes brothers, Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Cody Glass. However, it seems like Glass could be back as soon as Sunday and there were recent reports that Hamilton could be back sooner than initially anticipated. The Rangers, on the other hand, aren’t experiencing any major injuries. They have some depth pieces out including Matt Rempe and Adam Edstrom. Mika Zibanejad is also currently listed as day-to-day, but is expected to play Sunday.
These two teams have faced off three times this year, with the Devils holding a 2-0-1 record in those games. In the first two, the Devils outscored the Rangers 10-1.
Lines and Pairings
Devils
Check back on our social media pages before the game to see the lineup as they are injury dependent.
Rangers
Forwards
Panarin-Trocheck-Othmann
Perreault-Miller-Lafreniere
Cuylle-*Zibanejad-Brodzinski
Kreider-Carrick-Berard
Defense
Miller-Borgen
Soucy-Fox
Vaakanainen-Schneider
Goalies
Shesterkin
Quick
*As noted earlier Zibanejad is currently listed as day-to-day, but is expected to play.
Keys to the Game
Wild Card Race
The Devils are almost locked into the third spot in the Metropolitan Division, however, the Rangers are in a tight battle for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Just five points in the standings currently separate five teams.
The Canadiens lead the pack with 81 points and seven games remaining, with the Rangers right behind them at 79 points. The Blue Jackets, Red Wings, and Islanders all have eight games remaining (Blue Jackets have eight) and are at 77, 77, and 76 points, respectively. It’s realistic for any of these teams to get in so it should be a dogfight to the finish.
Luke’s Heater
Since his brother went down with injury, and Dougie Hamilton became out of commission just a period later, Luke Hughes has flourished. In 13 games since the Hughes and Hamilton injuries, when Luke has started getting a bulk share of the power play ice time among defenseman, he has two goals and 15 total points. Eight of those 15 points have come on the power play, helping the team to a 31.4% click, which ranks fourth in the NHL over that span.
Where to Watch
The Devils and Rangers are set for a 12:30 pm ET puck drop at the Prudential Center. The game is nationally televised on ABC.