Rangers at Devils preview

RANGERS (19-12-3) at DEVILS (19-9-5)
7 p.m. ET; MSG+ 2, MSG, NHL.TV

Johansson has missed the past four games because of an ankle bruise sustained blocking a shot during a 5-2 loss against the Rangers on Dec. 9. Devils rookie forward Jesper Bratt will miss his first game of the season because of an ankle injury sustained during a 5-3 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday. The Devils are two points behind the idle Washington Capitals for first place in the Metropolitan Division.
Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who is expected to make his fifth straight start, needs one win to tie Tony Esposito (423) for eighth on the NHL all-time list. Lundqvist has a 1.65 goals-against average and .955 save percentage in three straight wins. The Rangers are four points behind the Capitals.

Players to watch

Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello has four points (one goal, three assists) during a four-game point streak.
Devils center Brian Boyle has six points (two goals, four assists) in the past two games.

They said it

"I think we all understand that it's not going to be perfect for 60 minutes every game, but we also understand the importance of cashing in at the right time and not getting hurt when you're not playing well. I think we've been doing that well." -- Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist
"I'm looking for more from our veteran group. I think your veteran group has to drive your team in the stretch of the season we're going into. Our older veteran leadership and team culture and environment is exceptional. But when you get into divisional games late in the season, everything starts to tighten up and get gritty. This is when your leaders have to grab the team and drag them into the battle, drag them through the season." -- Devils coach John Hynes

Rangers projected lineup

Chris Kreider -- Mika Zibanejad -- Pavel Buchnevich
Rick Nash -- J.T. Miller -- Mats Zuccarello
Michael Grabner -- Kevin Hayes -- Jesper Fast
Paul Carey -- David Desharnais -- Jimmy Vesey
Ryan McDonagh -- Nick Holden
Brady Skjei -- Kevin Shattenkirk
Marc Staal -- Brendan Smith
Henrik Lundqvist
Ondrej Pavelec
Scratched:Steven Kampfer, Boo Nieves
Injured: None

Devils projected lineup

Taylor Hall -- Nico Hischier -- Kyle Palmieri
Marcus Johansson -- Travis Zajac -- Brian Gibbons
Blake Coleman -- Brian Boyle -- Stefan Noesen
Miles Wood -- Pavel Zacha -- Drew Stafford
Andy Greene -- Steven Santini
John Moore -- Sami Vatanen
Will Butcher -- Damon Severson
Cory Schneider
Keith Kinkaid
Scratched:Dalton Prout, Jimmy Hayes, Ben Lovejoy
Injured: Mirco Mueller (upper body), Jesper Bratt (ankle)

Status report

The Rangers did not hold a morning skate. ... Bratt likely will resume skating Friday and is questionable against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. Mueller has begun skating on his own.

Stat pack

Grabner has four points (three goals, one assist) during a four-game point streak. ... Schneider has held opponents to two goals or fewer in five of his past seven starts (5-1-1).