New York Rangers take on Devils in preseason action after bitter playoff ouster
The New York Rangers will look to build off of Tuesday night’s win as they take on the New Jersey Devils in their third game of the preseason. The Rangers come into tonight’s game 1-1-0 after a strong performance against the New York Islanders. In the recent installment of the rivalry, the Rangers played a very physical game and wore down their opponent en route to a 4-2 victory.
While the Battle of New York was heated even for preseason action, the Battle of the Hudson should be no different. After being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Devils in seven games last season, there may be a little more fire in the eyes of the Blueshirts when the puck drops at Madison Square Garden.
“It’s a tough one to swallow. That one stung for a while over the summer, maybe more than past years. They always sting, but that one was a pit in everyone’s stomach for a long time. You have to turn the page, its a new season,” was the message from Rangers captain Jacob Trouba.
The Devils finished second in the Metropolitan Division last year, just one point shy of first place. They come into tonight’s contest with a 2-0-0 preseason record. Both of their wins came on Monday night as they sent two squads out to play. One squad took out the Montreal Canadiens 4-2, while the other shut out the Philadelphia Flyers with a final score of 6-0. They will look to remain unbeaten in this heated rivalry matchup.
Update: Rangers lineup vs Devils
Here’s tonight’s game and broadcast info:
- Date/Time: September 28, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
- Arena: Madison Square Garden
- TV: MSG, MSGSN
- Radio: TBD
Note: Subject to change, updated for each game.
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New York Rangers vs New Jersey Devils
There are already some intriguing storylines coming out of Rangers training camp after only two preseason games. One of them regards the impressive play of Will Cuylle. He had a strong showing in the Rangers 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins to open the preseason and has been capturing the attention of Peter Laviolette as well as the rest of the coaching staff. It will be interesting to see if he gets another shot tonight and if so, who he plays with.
As preseason goes on, the Rangers lineup will begin to take form with more mainstay players. After his recent play, the coaching staff may be inclined to give Cuylle a look with some of the team’s top-6 players.
“He’s certainly a player on an upward trajectory,” is how Laviolette described the young forward.
Another player to keep an eye on is Brennan Othmann. He had an impressive showing in Tuesday night’s victory playing on a line with Kaapo Kakko and Vincent Trocheck. He plays a physical game with an edge. He was very noticeable against the Islanders and made an impact every time he was on the ice. The line of Othmann-Trocheck-Kakko was effective, however, the Rangers coaching staff may want to see how he plays with other top level talent, should he be inserted into the lineup for a second straight game.
It is also worth noting the battle for the 6th and 7th defensemen slot is still very much alive. Erik Gustafsson has had a strong preseason and played well against the Islanders Tuesday night, notching a primary assist and ending the night with a plus/minus of +2. Zac Jones is also once again fighting to make the opening night roster and will look to have a solid performance if given the chance tonight against the Devils.
“I thought he did a good job of moving pucks, I thought he did a good job up top on the powerplay,” said Laviolette in regards to Jones after game one in Boston.
Expect players like Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin to make their way into the preseason lineup as we inch closer to regular season play. Both players, along with Filip Chytil are nursing injuries, but an update is expected soon. Also, Alexis Lafreniere should continue to get looks at right wing, another developing story coming out of camp this year.
In terms of goaltending, Laviolette expressed his plan to play Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick in a full-game capacity toward the end of preseason. With back-to-back games tonight and tomorrow night, minutes will most likely be divided amongst the four goalies, Shesterkin, Quick, Louis Domingue, and Dylan Garand.
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