NEW JERSEY DEVILS (34-31-2) at NEW YORK RANGERS (28-31-8)

New Jersey will play in Madison Square Garden against its Hudson River Rival New York Rangers for the first time this season. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. ET. 

Read below for your game preview presented by Ott, Shore & Co. and check back for the pre-game story.

MORNING SKATE RECAP

NEWARK, NJ - Check back following the Devils morning skate around 11:30 a.m. ET.

THE SCOOP

The Devils have won six of their last eight games, and the biggest factor in their success has been an offensive explosion. They’ve scored 31 games in those contests (3.88 goals per game).

New Jersey completed a seven-game homestand that saw the club go 5-2-0 with some dramatic victories against Toronto, NY Rangers, Los Angeles and Boston. Now the Devils hit the road for a five-game road trip, starting at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.

The Rangers have struggled all season long, and currently have the worst record in the Eastern Conference. But the team has had some surprising success of late. They’ve gone 5-2-0 in their last seven contests, with wins against Minnesota, Philadelphia and Toronto.

The Rangers will be at MSG a lot over the next three weeks, with 11 of 13 games at home, including their own seven-game homestand.

WHO’S HOT

Devils: Jack Hughes picked up his 400th career NHL point against Boston, and became the fastest player in franchise history to reach the mark, doing so in 414 games. Hughes now has 10 points (5g-5a) in his last five games, and 15 (5g-10a) in 10 games since returning from the Olympic break.

Rangers: Alexis Lafreniere has gone pointless in his last two games. But prior to that, he had five goals and seven points in a three-game stretch. And overall, he has 15 points (11g-4a) in his past 12 contests, including a hat trick.  

INJURIES

Devils:
Pesce (lower-body)
Noesen (knee)
MacEwen (upper-body)

Rangers:
Rempe (upper-body)

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

• March 7 vs. NY Rangers, W 6-3 
• March 16 at NY Rangers
• March 31 at NY Rangers

GAME NOTES

• The Devils and Rangers meet for the second time this season, and first at MSG. 
• The Devils picked up a 6-3 victory in the previous meeting in New Jersey on March 7. 
• Jack Hughes posted a hat trick and four points in the previous meeting this season. He has 19 goals and 32 points in 24 games against New York.