NEWARK, NJ - "We know they have some real good talent up front with the speed they have," said Devils Head Coach Lindy Ruff.
It's not like the Devils don't know what they'll be getting with their foes from across the river in town.
"They have some good net-front. You know they're a good quick-strike team. If you watched their last game, two goals in their first five minutes. We have to make sure we limit their rush opportunities and we don't back off. If we give them space, they have players that can make a difference."
"I think a similar to the past few games in the defensive zone, we've done a fairly good job overall," said Devils defenseman Damon Severson. "So we want to try to do that… limit their chances."
While the Devils are respectful of the challenge the Rangers present, a lot of Ruff's messaging in the lead-up to the game has been focused on looking internally for answers.
"We've really flatlined scoring 5-on-5," said Ruff. "And you can see in the tough games, even the early games when we won against Boston they were close games."
And so the Devils are looking to generate more chances from the inside and more secondary opportunities. And to do so, they've switched up the lineup quite a bit.
WHY THE SHUFFLE?
The Devils aren't mixing up the lineup so much just for fun.
"When Im making lineup changes, sometimes during a game, that's a decision where I think the line isn't getting anything done or they're playing against the other team's top unit and that top unit is winning the battle," said Ruff. "I may be looking for an opportunity to free those players up, get one player on a different line where he may get a better opportunity to help us win a game... When I make changes as radical as I have now, that's something I talk to the team about. Here's our lines, here's the reasons I'm going in that direction."
And the reason is to get more bodies to the net and create chaos.
"For me, it's getting inside," he said. "You talk about expected goals and getting the opportunities from the key areas. We're playing teams recently that have been really hard to get inside."
MORAL VICTORIES AREN'T THE GOAL
There's no hiding that this season is all about the youth movement. But that being said, the Devils club fully expects to place a competitive team on the ice. We've seen flashes of that this season, but there's been a stumble as of late with three straight losses under their belts.
Ruff spoke at length Thursday about what the team needs to improve on, but none of his answers were more direct than this:
"It's about trying to find the little things. The one percent. Net-front. Face-offs. Fourth guy on the rush. Small areas that will get us the extra goal a game to allow us to win on a regular basis, not playing well and losing.."
It's clear the Devils find no comfort in controlling the pace of a game that results in a loss, or maintaining the bulk of the pressure but not having any goals to show for it.
It's time for the Devils to take a step forward, and there's no better time than tonight against a rival whom you've beaten twice already.
