Devils, Rangers have Hudson River rivalry thriving
Teams will play Thursday in possible 1st-round playoff preview
The intensity, gamesmanship, and passionate chanting from the fans will be on full display when the New York Rangers visit the New Jersey Devils in the final regular-season meeting between the teams at Prudential Center on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, MSG, ESPN+, SN NOW).
"Trust me, Rangers fans are not afraid to remind you of their wins against us," Hockey Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur said. "But it's all good. I think this is what you play hockey for. At the end of the day, if you're involved in your community, you know how split this community is as far as hockey because the Rangers have been here for so long, and so it's been so great to see the diehard Devils fan because they care so much about our rivalry. They're so excited."
The winner will gain the upper hand for home-ice advantage in a possible Eastern Conference First Round best-of-7 series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs next month. The Devils are in second place in the Metropolitan Division, three points behind the Carolina Hurricanes. The Rangers are two points behind the Devils.
"Home ice is definitely on the line here with this game," New Jersey forward Miles Wood said. "The rivalry goes way back, so it's nice that both teams are very competitive this year, and we're both fighting for the same goal. I expect it to be a high tempo game."
Brodeur, who played a huge role in the Devils' success as their goalie on three Stanley Cup winning teams (1995, 2000, 2003), now serves as executive vice president of hockey operations. He also has the most wins all time among Devils goalies against the Rangers (49-32-15, five ties).
New York has won four of the six postseason series between the teams, although New Jersey won the most recent, a six-game series in the 2012 Eastern Conference Final.
"Everybody's excited, our fan base is super excited about what we're putting on the ice so it's the start of a good thing," Brodeur said. "Regardless if we're successful or not (on Thursday), it's a hockey game, so you never know what's going to happen."
The Devils, who are 2-0-1 against the Rangers this season, are looking to win a season series against their rivals for the first time since 2017-18 (3-1-0). New York is 130-98-11 with 27 ties in the all-time series and has won 10 of the past 13 games dating to March 4, 2021.
The Rangers (44-20-10) have won three in a row and are 9-1-1 since March 9.
"Madison Square Garden is an amazing place to play," Rangers forward Patrick Kane said after a 6-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. "I think it's a big advantage to have home ice. We have that in front of us now if we do what we need to do."
New Jersey (46-20-8) has slipped a bit, going 2-4-2 in its past eight, while being outscored 28-22 over that span.
"I've heard so much about this rivalry but obviously have never been part of it ... these type games are fun," said Devils forward Timo Meier, who was acquired in a trade with the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 26. "These are the ones you circle on the calendar. These are the ones that are easy to get up for. I'm excited. I think the Rangers have been red-hot lately, and they got some good offensive guys so it's going to be a fun challenge. Obviously, for fans and for the players, these are the games you want to show up for."
Devils coach Lindy Ruff also realizes a possible postseason match against the Rangers looms.
"I think that is the reality, that we could face them, so when you're looking at it, I think they're going to look at it the same as us ... they're going to get a good feel for how we're playing and we'll get a good feel for them," Ruff said. "They've had some changes in their lineup and we've had some changes. It'll be a fun game to be involved in."
New York has yet to face New Jersey since Meier's arrival. Similarly, the Devils haven't played the Rangers since their trade for forwards Vladimir Tarasenko (from the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 9) and Kane (from the Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 28).
"We've never seen Tarasenko and Kane on that team, but they haven't seen Timo so it's going to be interesting," Brodeur said. "I'm looking forward to see how we'll respond. I feel like these guys ... they're young. They know the window is just beginning to open; maybe a bit quicker than anybody thought but you still don't want to lose that edge."
