The Devils and New York Rangers will reignite the Hudson River Rivalry at Prudential Center on Thursday at 7 p.m.
As always, the intensity and atmosphere ramp up anytime the two teams collide – whether it be regular season or playoffs.
Devils captain Nico Hischier, drafted first overall in 2017, has had his fair share of games against the Rangers, including the seven-game opening round series in the 2023 playoffs in which the Devils triumphed.
“The Rangers rivalry is always fun. I loved it since the beginning,” Hischier said. “My very first Rangers-Devils game, and obviously saw them once in playoff, which was really fun. So, it's just always fun games, very intense games, and you just, from the stands, you feel the emotions, you feel the fans, the tension, and that's why it makes it so fun.”
Luckily, the schedule this year aligns with four meetings (two in each team’s building) as opposed to last year when the clubs only faced off on three occasions and all three games fell in March, late in the year when both teams were out of playoff contention.
“It'll be very fun,” Jack Hughes said. “I think we didn't play them until March last year, so I think we have them four times in the first two months this season. And it's a great rivalry, and we're excited to play them.”
Hischier and Hughes are veterans to the rivalry. Some players are fairly new. Connor Brown, who knows about rivalries from his days with Edmonton taking on Calgary, had his first taste of NJD-NYR last season.
“It's always really fun to have a team that is a rival,” Brown said, “and especially in a long and grueling season to kind of have some of those games circled and for the fans to get extra excited for and for the boys to get extra up for. And it was fun to be a part of, so I'm looking forward to those games continuing.”
In the lone game at Prudential Center last season between the two teams, Hughes put on a show with a hat trick and four-point night in a 6-3 win on March 7.
“I think that was probably one of my favorite games as a Devil so far, is when Jack had a hat trick in that game against the Rangers,” Brown said. “You can just feel the energy in the building was through the roof, and it was exciting to be a part of.”
Defenseman Brett Pesce grew up in Terrytown, New York. He was well aware of the Hudson River Rivalry and the history between the two clubs from his youth. But even having that knowledge didn’t prepare him for how hightened the games actually are.
“The Devils-Rangers rivalry is kind of hard to explain. It's awesome,” Pesce said. “I never really experienced that until I got here, and it almost feels like every game versus them is just an instant game seven playoff game. It doesn't matter what time of the season it is, and it just makes the game special to play.”
