Kahkonen Will Make Devils Debut Against Rangers | PREVIEW

New Jersey heads across the Hudson River to face their rivals, the New York Rangers, at Madison Square Garden.

You can watch on MSGSN or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

Read below for your game preview and pre-game story below.

PRE-GAME STORY

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Trade deadline acquisition Kaapo Kahkonen will make his Devils debut against the Rangers on Monday night. Kahkonen participated in his first practice with New Jersey on Sunday. Tonight will be an opportunity for him to jump back in as his last game was Mar. 5.

“I think it’s just getting his two feet on the ground,” Interim head coach Travis Green said about Kahkonen. “Get him back into the groove. And not overthinking it, go out and play and enjoy it.

“I thought he looked sharp (at practice Sunday) … I’m excited to see him play.”

The Devils did not hold a pre-game skate Monday after a high pace, intense practice on Sunday. For Green, yesterday's on-ice session was focused on details and execution.

“Some might call it intense, some might call it a pace-y practice,” Green explained. “It’s normal, it was not a hard practice, a lot of details in it, a lot of energy, focused on things that I thought we needed to work on, and get ready for tonight’s game.

“We worked on a few things that the Rangers do,” Green continued. “Not to get into specifics but every team has a few little wrinkles in their system that you work on. Also, working on our game. Continuing to work on pace and execution.”

Monday night is a rivalry game which will already increase the excitement and physicality. Green discussed the matchup and what he's anticipating tonight.

“It’s going to be an exciting game," Green shared. “Anytime you come to Madison Square Garden, Rangers Devils, this time of year. I’m expecting a fast game, a pace-y game, a physical game. We’ve got two players, one player on each team, that likes physical play a lot more than some other players, that’s part of hockey.”

PREVIEW

DEVILS (31-29-4) vs. RANGERS (41-18-4)

Head-to-Head

This is the third of four matchups between the Hudson River Rivals and the first of two straight at Madison Square Garden. The final game will be on Apr. 3 in New York.

The Rangers have won both of the previous meetings at Prudential Center. First, a 5-3 win on Nov. 18 and then a 5-1 victory on Feb. 22. Jack Hughes leads the Devils with two goals against the Rangers this year with Ondrej Palat and Erik Haula each scoring one.

Devils Team Scope:

Despite a strong performance, the Devils fell 4-2 in their most recent game to the Carolina Hurricanes. New Jersey is 3-7-0 and only has one win over their last five games. However, over the last three games, the Devils have seen improved play especially with more energy and a stronger attention to detail. New Jersey made a coaching change at the start of the week elevating Travis Green from Associate Coach to Interim Head Coach.

At the trade deadline, New Jersey acquired two new goaltenders to add depth to the position, Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen. Both goaltenders practice for the first time with their new team on Sunday. Allen isn’t available yet due to visa issues; however Kahkonen is ready to go according to Interim Head Coach Travis Green.

Jesper Bratt’s 22 goals, 42 assists, and 64 points lead the Devils. Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes are tied for second most goals at 21. Hughes has 40 assists and 61 points which are both second on the team. Hischier’s 28 assists and 49 points are third on New Jersey. Nico Daws has played the majority of New Jersey’s recent games. He has a 9-11-0 record with a 3.26 goals against average and a .891 save percentage. Following Saturday’s game against the Hurricanes, the Devils assigned Akira Schmid, the other half of the Devils goaltender tandem, to the Utica Comets.

Monday is the first of four straight on the road for the Devils. On Wednesday the team will head west to take on the Dallas Stars, Arizona Coyotes, and Vegas Golden Knights before returning to New Jersey. Currently, the Devils are six points out of the second wild card spot (Detroit, 72) and eight points back from Philadelphia who holds the third spot in the Metropolitan division (74).

Rangers Team Scope:

The Rangers are 7-2-1 in their last ten games; however are 2-2-1 in their last five. In their most recent game, New York shut out the St. Louis Blues, 4-0. Three of their four goals against the Blues were power play goals. New York’s special teams are a huge threat to any opponent as their power play and penalty kill are each ranked fifth-best in the NHL.

The Rangers did add some pieces at the deadline most notably Alex Wennberg and Jack Roslovic. Wennberg and Roslovic made their Rangers debuts on Saturday. Nic Petan and Chad Ruhwedel were also acquired by New York ahead of Friday’s deadline.

Artemi Panarin leads New York with 35 goals, and his 52 assists and 87 points are also team-highs. Chris Kreider’s 32 goals are second on the team, while Adam Fox’s 41 assists are second in that category. Vincent Trocheck’s 60 points are second on the Rangers. Kreider is leading New York with 13 power play goals while Trocheck is second with 11. Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick have made up the Rangers goaltender tandem this season. Shesterkin has a 27-13-2 record through his 42 starts. He has a 2.60 goals against average and a .912 save percentage. Quick has a 13-5-2 record through his 21 games played. He has a 2.45 goals against and a .916 save percentage.

Monday's game starts a back-to-back for the Rangers that wraps up in North Carolina against the Hurricanes Tuesday night. Tuesday’s game is the first of three straight on the road with stops in Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh before returning home. New York is first in the Metropolitan division with 86 points.

By the Numbers:

721: The Devils have the most shots on goal in the third period out of all teams in the NHL.

50: The Rangers have five players with 50 points or more, which leads the league: Artemi Panarin (87), Vincent Trocheck (60), Chris Kreider (58), Mika Zibanejad (54), and Adam Fox (51).

Injuries:

Devils

Dougie Hamilton (torn pectoral muscle, LTIR)

Rangers

Jacob Trouba (lower-body, week-to-week)
Filip Chytil (head, IR)
Blake Wheeler (leg, IR)