After a thrilling overtime win against Boston on Monday, the New Jersey Devils (34-31-2, 7th Metropolitan) will head across the Hudson River to face the New York Rangers (28-31-8, 8th Metropolitan) at Madison Square Garden tonight.
Overview
Both teams find themselves all but out of the playoff race and in the basement of the Eastern Conference. The Devils have been on a solid run recently, with a 6-4-0 record over their last ten games. They’ve won their last two games, both in thrilling fashion. A key factor in this stretch has been a revitalized offense, which has scored 3.2 goals per game since February 28. New Jersey has been opportunistic as of late, and they’ll look to pounce on a beleaguered Rangers’ squad tonight.
The Rangers sit dead last in the Eastern Conference, but have also been on a roll lately. They’re coming off a 4-1 loss to the Kings on Monday, but won four straight games before that. New York isn’t playing for much after selling at the deadline, but will still play hard against their cross-river rival.
The Devils beat the Rangers 6-3 last time they played on March 7.
Lines and Pairings
Devils-
Forwards
Meier-Hischier-Mercer
Bratt-Hughes-Brown
Gritsyuk-Glass-Hameenaho
Cotter-Bjugstad-Tsyplakov
Defense
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Hughes-Kovacevic
Dillion-Nemec
Goalies
Markstrom
Allen
Rangers
Forwards
Perreault-Zibanejad-Lafreniere
Cuylle-Trocheck-Miller
Kartye-Laba-Sheary
Raddysh-Edstrom-Chmelar
Defense
Gavrikov-Fox
Robertson-Schneider
Vakkanainen-Borgen
Goalies
Shesterkin
Quick
Keys to the Game
Remaining Rangers Step Up
Half of the Rangers’ lineup is made up of AHL-level players at this point in the season, which doesn’t inspire a ton of excitement for the fans. As a result of their sell-off, the Rangers’ remaining players have had to step up.
A key example is Alexis Lafraniere, the former first overall draft pick who has been hot recently. He hasn’t registered a point in his last two games, but had five goals and seven points in the games prior, including a hat trick against Calgary. Another is J.T. Miller, who has two goals and eight points in six games since the trade deadline. The Rangers are sorely missing Artemi Panarin, but their regulars can still take the fight to New Jersey.
Hughes’ Line Bounces Back
The Jack Hughes’ line had a nice bounce-back game after a quiet stretch. Bratt, who has returned to Hughes’ wing, had a goal and an assist in the win against Boston. The ever-reliable Connor Brown also scored in the win. Hughes had an assist on both of the goals. Look for the Hughes line to make an impact tonight.
Where to Watch
Tonight’s game can be seen on TNT at 7:00 pm ET.