Game 48; The last stop before the playoffs!
Game 45; Hudson River Rivalry – Round 3 at the Garden!
New Jersey Devils (17-17-10) @ New York Rangers (23-17-4)
The Rangers conclude their busy week this afternoon as they host the Devils at the Garden. As the regular season winds down with only 4 games left, this is the first meeting of season between the Rangers and the Devils at the MSG. The Devils won’t make the playoffs this year but they’re ready to spoil the playoff hopes for the Rangers. The Devils beat the Panthers 6-2 yesterday while the Rangers are coming off from great win over the Sabres. Hudson River Rivalry continues!
NJD:
The Devils lost Ilya Kovalchuk and eventually after that they lost 10 games in the row. Last night they got him back and continued winning when they beat the Panthers 6-2. After long playoff run last year, this season has been tough for the Devils. They started the season very well but injuries and offensive struggles made them pay. For example, last week they outshooted the Sens and the Maple Leafs 65 to 24 but lost both games 0-2. Against the Rangers, we can expect almost anything from this team. I wouldn’t be surprised if guys like David Clarkson and Ryan Carter are trying to get something going on with Clowe/Asham.
NYR:
The Rangers have scored 14 goals in the last two games. Yeah, you read it right. Game against the Sabres was pivotal but surely nobody expected this outcome. After 898 games in the league, Brad Richards finally got his 1st NHL hat-trick. In addition, Carl Hagelin, Rick Nash, Anton Stralman, Ryan Clowe and Ryan Callahan scored for the Rangers. The win eliminated the Sabres and the Flyers from the playoffs.
With 4 games left almost anything can still happen. The Rangers are 3 points behind 6th place Islanders and 2 points behind the 7th place Sens. Lundqvist will continue playing and the line-up remains the same. The main goal for the Rangers is get in to the playoffs and after that they can worry about the seeding. They can’t clinch the playoff spot today but if they do win – that’s a huge step towards the playoffs.
Key players and stats:
Good thing for the Rangers is that Brad Richards is getting the points. He has 10 goals in the season with 4 goals in the last two games. Although the Rangers gave up 4 goals against the Sabres, Henrik Lundqvist is playing very well. If he can continue playing like this, the Rangers can beat any team in the league. For the Devils, Martin Brodeur usually plays his best games against the Rangers. Although their overall record is pretty weak, they have guys who can score goals (Belive it or not!) David Clarkson has 14 goals in the season while Patrik Elias has 13. This is the third of four meetings this season. Teams will close-up their regular seasons on April 27th at the Madison Square Garden.
Let’s Go Rangers!
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Game 9; The Rangers presents some new faces at the Rock
New York Rangers (4-4-0) @ New Jersey Devils (4-1-3)
255 days ago Adam Henrique’s OT goal ended the Rangers long playoff run. Now this heated rivalry starts all over again in the Prudential Center. These teams don’t hesitate to hit hard or drop the gloves – they’re ready to the battle again! Years go by but some things never change. Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist will face each others again and usually we’ve seen legendary battles between those two. Tight your seat belts – Hudson River rivalry continues tonight!
NJD:
Zach Parise is gone and they had some trouble bringing Ilya Kovalchuk back from KHL. But all in all the Devils have had a satisfying start for the season. With going 4-1-3 the Devils are currently at the 5th place in the Eastern and 2nd in the Atlantic Division. On Sunday night the Devils beat the Islanders 3-0. David Clarkson has five goals and four assists in eight games while Kovalchuk has two goals and three assists.
NYR:
The Rangers did get their first road win of the season in Tampa but they also changed their line-up after it. They send Mike Rupp to Minnesota for Darrel Powe and Nick Palmieri. Powe will join the Rangers while Palmieri will join the Connecticut Whale. Personally I wanna thank Mike Rupp for his time in the Rangers – never going to forget that “Jagr-salute” ! Powe had 91 blocked shots a year ago and he’s strong on the penalty kill. Palmieri is only 23 years old and he has 25 points in 87 NHL games. Powe is expected to be in the line-up against the Devils.
That wasn’t enough for the Rangers. They also called up JT Miller and Brandon Mashinter from the Connecticut Whale while Benn Ferriero was sent down. Mashinter has played 13 NHL games while Miller is expected to make his NHL debut against the Devils.
Carl Hagelin and Derek Stepan scored their first goals of the season in 3-2 victory over the Lightning. With Taylor Pyatt, that line really got their game together. They moved the puck well, battled hard in the corners and eventually they scored two goals. No words about Nash’s goal – absolute thing of beauty. Martin Biron had a solid game with 30 saves.
Key players and stats:
Kovalchuk vs. Nash, Lundqvist vs. Brodeur or Elias vs. Richards – you name it. This rivalry is all about great match-ups. If history repeats itself, there will be more than one or two scrums. Darrol Powe, JT Miller and Brandon Mashinter will play their first games as a New York Rangers. This is the first of four meetings this season. Second meeting will be at the Prudential Center on Mar. 19. The Devils won’t be at the Garden until Apr. 21 and in the regular-season finale Apr. 27.
Let’s Go Rangers!
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
True Blue I Am a Ranger 