Rangers at Devils preview
Kakko, Hughes face off for first time in NHL with New York, New Jersey
by Mike G. Morreale @mikemorrealeNHL / NHL.com Staff Writer
RANGERS (2-1-0) AT DEVILS (0-4-2)
7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV
The Game
Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko will oppose one another for the first time in the NHL when the New Jersey Devils play the New York Rangers at Prudential Center on Thursday.
Hughes, an 18-year-old center, was selected by the Devils with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He has yet to score and is minus-4 for New Jersey. Hughes will center the top line with left wing Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri.
The Devils have lost six straight games to start the season for the first time since beginning 2013-14 with seven straight losses (0-4-3). Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood will make his first start in three games.
Kakko is an 18-year-old right wing chosen No. 2 by the Rangers in the 2019 draft. He has one point, a goal scored in a 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Goalie Alexandar Georgiev will start for New York.
Players to watch
Rangers center Mika Zibanejad has eight points (four goals, four assists) in three games.
Devils left wing Taylor Hall leads New Jersey with five points (one goal, four assists) in six games.
They said it
"(The Devils) have had stretches of good hockey for sure but when you lose tough games, you can lose a bit of your confidence and we've been through that before. I'm just focusing on what we've been doing and putting forth a much better performance than we did (Saturday)." -- Rangers coach David Quinn
"Once I get that first one, I can kind of start rolling, and they'll come in bunches. So once it rains, hopefully it pours. That first one is bound to happen at some point. I just have to keep going, keep playing my game and I'll start producing." -- Devils center Jack Hughes
Rangers projected lineup
Artemi Panarin -- Mika Zibanejad -- Pavel Buchnevich
Chris Kreider -- Brett Howden -- Kaapo Kakko
Brendan Smith -- Ryan Strome -- Jesper Fast
Greg McKegg -- Lias Andersson -- Micheal Haley
Libor Hajek -- Jacob Trouba
Brady Skjei -- Adam Fox
Marc Staal -- Tony DeAngelo
Alexandar Georgiev
Henrik Lundqvist
Scratched: Brendan Lemieux
Injured: None
Devils projected lineup
Taylor Hall -- Jack Hughes -- Kyle Palmieri
Blake Coleman -- Travis Zajac -- Wayne Simmonds
Nikita Gusev -- Pavel Zacha -- Jesper Bratt
Miles Wood -- Kevin Rooney -- John Hayden
Damon Severson -- P.K. Subban
Will Butcher -- Sami Vatanen
Mirco Mueller -- Matt Tennyson
Mackenzie Blackwood
Cory Schneider
Scratched: Connor Carrick, Jesper Boqvist
Injured: Andy Greene (upper body), Nico Hischier (upper body)
Status report
Neither team held a morning skate. ... Hischier is day to day.
Stat pack
Panarin (four points; two goals, two assists) has multiple points in two of three games. ... The Devils are 6-1-1 against the Rangers at Prudential Center since 2015-16.