Devils:52-22-8, 112 points
Rangers: 47-22-13, 107 points
Season series:NJD 3-0-1; NYR 1-2-1
Game 1:Tuesday at New Jersey (7 p.m. ET; TBS, SN360, TVAS2)
The "Hudson River Rivalry" is back on in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 11 years.
The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers will face off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the seventh time when they face each other in the Eastern Conference First Round.
It's the first series between the rivals since the 2012 Eastern Conference Final, when the Devils won in six games to reach the Stanley Cup Final.
The Devils and Rangers had not been in the playoffs in the same season since until this season. It's New Jersey's first trip back to the postseason since 2018, which was its only appearance since 2012.
"It's a rivalry," Rangers center Mika Zibanejad said. "They're right across the river and it's a tough opponent. They've had a really good regular season. It's been tight games against them. It's going to be a lot of fun."
The Devils got back to the playoffs by setting single-season team records for wins (52) and points (112). It was an improvement of 25 wins and 49 points from last season.
"We talked about step one," Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. "That was step one, to make sure that we're in the playoffs, play good hockey. And now the stage gets bigger. The opportunity to accomplish and keep moving on will be in front of us and you've got to just really wrap your arms around this moment."
The Rangers are back in the playoffs after reaching Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final last season, when they admittedly ran out of gas and were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
They were floundering in early December with an 11-10-5 record after a 5-2 loss at home against the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 3. But they won their next seven games and went 36-12-8 in their final 56 games.
"We've had our ups and our downs for sure," Rangers captain Jacob Trouba said. "I think we know what we're capable of, we know what the goal is. I like our team heading into the playoffs and I think we're ready to get this thing rolling."
The Devils enter the playoffs with wins in four of their past five games and six of eight starting with a 2-1 victory against the Rangers on March 30.
The Rangers lost their last two regular-season games, 3-2 in a shootout to the Buffalo Sabres and 3-2 in regulation against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but overall, were 12-3-4 since March 9.
"We played [the Devils] four times this year and they won three out of the four," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. "Good hockey games, close hockey games all of them. They present a challenge. They're a talented team. They can score goals. They're a young team but they're a skilled team and they can create a lot. Some of their guys took big steps like our young guys this year. I think it's going to be a great series."