Game Thread: Rangers at Devils
Will the Rangers break through tonight in Newark?
For the second straight game, the New York Rangers will be playing a Metropolitan Division team that is lower than they are in the standings. Tonight, the Rangers will be looking to re-discover their offense at the Prudential Center after getting shutout by Anthony Stolarz and the Flyers on Tuesday night at the Garden.
The Devils come into tonight’s game with a record of 19-23-7. They are 4-6-0 in their last 10 games. New Jersey has been without Taylor Hall, last year’s Hart Trophy winner, for 14-straight games coming into tonight’s contest. As you can imagine, they’ve been a different team without Hall on their top line.
Kyle Palmieri is leading the Devils in goals and points this season. He’s scored 23 goals in 49 games this year for the Devils, which is just one shy of the total he had in 62 games last year. Impressively, 14 of Palmieri’s goals have been scored during 5-on-5 hockey. He’s just two goals shy of matching his career-high for 5-on-5 goals in a season.
The Rangers are 8-14-2 on the road this season. Believe it or not, this is the first game between the Rangers and Devils this season. These two clubs will meet each other again on Feb. 23, two days before the Trade Deadline.
Please use this as your open thread for tonight’s game.
