Game Preview #44: New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers

Pain, pain go away. Come again another day.

Let’s please win the fourth game.

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (14-23-6) versus the New York Rangers (22-16-6)

The Time: 3:00 PM EST

The Broadcast: TV - NHLN, MSG+

Today starts the debut of top Devils prospect Nolan Foote! The 20 year old Foote has more than held his own in the AHL, as he’s recorded 6 goals and 10 assists through 20 games in his debut professional season. The highly regarded prospect, a 2019 first round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning, was acquired in the Blake Coleman trade, and will hopefully be an injection of new blood that the Devils desperately need.

Jack Hughes, after three pointless games, was able to get back on the scoresheet with two assists in the previous game. His line was the best line in terms of Corsi percentages, as he, Kuokkanen and Sharangovich all recorded CF%’s of 69 and above. Hopefully this line sticks together for this game.

There is still no update on the availability on Jesper Bratt or Pavel Zacha. Their injuries are still undisclosed at the time, so it’s unknown how long they will be out for. With that being said, there is a non-zero chance they may be able to play in Sunday’s game, but my estimations are with the assumption that they will not be playing.

Expected Lines:

Kuokkanen - Hughes - Sharangovich
Johnsson - Hischier - Merkley
Wood - Boqvist - Foote
Maltsev - McLeod - Bastian

Smith - Subban
Murray - Severson
Siegenthaler - Tennyson

Blackwood

Myself, and everyone else, will have no idea what the lineups look like until later today. Foote could end up anywhere within the top 9 - we’ll see where exactly he ends up. I will very likely be very wrong.

Rangers Expected Lines:

Kreider - Zibanejad - Buchnevich
Panarin - Strome - Blackwell
Lafreniere - Chytil - Kakko
Rooney - Howden - Kravtsov

Lindgren - Fox
Miller - Trouba
Hajek - Smith

Georgiev

Your Thoughts

Who will win? Who will score? How will Nolan Foote do in his debut? What do the Devils need to do to get better?

Let me know how you feel about this game in the comments below, and have a great day!