Preview: Devils at Rangers

DEVILS (12-9-6) at RANGERS (19-9-1)
7 p.m. ET; MSG, MSG+, NHL.TV

Devils team scope

Goaltender Cory Schneider, who has allowed three or more goals in seven of his past eight starts (2-4-2), will look to get back on track and help the New Jersey Devils end a two-game losing streak when they've been outscored 9-3. The Devils begin a four-game road trip that ends at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 18. "Fun buildings are fun to play in, whether it's Chicago, Montreal or Madison Square Garden," Schneider said. "Sometimes when you're younger, this place can be overwhelming or you might get a little nervous but as you get older you kind of enjoy being in these venues." Schneider is 4-5-1 with a 2.19 goals-against average and .924 save percentage in 11 games against the Rangers. Left wing Michael Cammalleri needs one point to reach 600 for his NHL career (286 goals, 313 assists). He has 50 goals and 97 points in 131 games in two-plus seasons with New Jersey. The Devils lead the NHL with 12 overtime/shootout games, including seven on the road (3-4).

Rangers team scope

Goalie Antti Raanta will make this third straight start for the New York Rangers. Raanta won back-to-back starts at the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday and at the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, allowing one goal on 44 shots in the two games. He is 7-1-0 with a 1.83 GAA and .939 save percentage in 10 games and 2-0-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .872 save percentage in two games against the Devils. Henrik Lundqvist last started in a 4-2 loss at the New York Islanders on Dec. 6. He has more wins (34) and shutouts (eight), and has the lowest GAA (1.90 GAA) in his NHL career against New Jersey than any NHL opponent. "[Lundqvist] saw Antti play and Hank, like all our players, has a team-first attitude and right now there's no doubt that Antti is playing real well," coach Alain Vigneault said. "He deserves to play. I love [Lundqvist] but I love the team more and right now Antti is on top of his game." Lundqvist said that although he would like to play, he understands the decision to start Raanta. "It's not about me," Lundqvist said. "I just need to keep my focus on what I can control and right now that's my own game, what I do in practice and how I prepare. I'll support the team when I'm not playing, so that's the most important thing right now."

Devils projected lineup

Taylor Hall -- Adam Henrique -- PA Parenteau
Michael Cammalleri -- Travis Zajac -- Kyle Palmieri
Beau Bennett -- Sergey Kalinin -- Devante Smith-Pelly
Miles Wood -- Vernon Fiddler -- Nick Lappin
Andy Greene -- Damon Severson
Jon Merrill -- Ben Lovejoy
John Moore -- Kyle Quincey
Cory Schneider
Keith Kinkaid
Scratched:Jacob Josefson, Yohann Auvitu
Injured:Pavel Zacha (facial laceration)

Rangers projected lineup

Chris Kreider -- Derek Stepan -- Mats Zuccarello
Michael Grabner -- Kevin Hayes -- J.T. Miller
Marek Hrivik -- Oscar Lindberg -- Jesper Fast
Jimmy Vesey -- Brandon Pirri -- Nicklas Jensen
Ryan McDonagh -- Dan Girardi
Marc Staal -- Nick Holden
Brady Skjei -- Kevin Klein
Antti Raanta
Henrik Lundqvist
Scratched:Adam Clendening
Injured:Mika Zibanejad (lower body), Pavel Buchnevich (lower body), Rick Nash (groin), Matt Puempel (concussion)

Status report

Merrill will return to the lineup after sitting out the past five games as a healthy scratch. He will replace Auvitu. ... Zacha, injured in a 5-4 overtime win at the Nashville Predators on Dec. 3, will miss his fourth straight game. ... Forward Josh Jooris was claimed off waivers from the Rangers by the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday. A healthy scratch in four of the past six games, Jooris had one goal and two points in 12 games. ... Vigneault said Nash, who has missed the past two games, is coming along and remains on schedule to return this week.

Who's hot

Hall has three goals and eight points during a four-game point streak. ... Stepan has one goal and six points in his past five games, and three goals and nine points in his past 11.