Preseason Game #3 Preview: New Jersey Devils @ New York Rangers

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils visit the New York Rangers. SB Nation Blog: Blueshirt Banter

The Time: 7:00 PM ET

The Broadcast: TV - MSG, MSGSN, NHL Network (out of market). RADIO - Devils Hockey Network (Access through the Devils official app or the SiriusXM app)

The Last Devils Game

The Devils topped the New York Islanders by a 4-1 margin Tuesday night. I wrote in my recap of that game how they did it behind a balanced offense and solid goaltending, and highlighted the performances of Alex Holtz, Fabian Zetterlund, and Simon Nemec in particular as they try to make the team.

The Last Rangers Game

Like the Devils, the Rangers also opened up the preseason with a back-to-back, as they lost to the Bruins 3-2 in Overtime Tuesday night. The most notable thing to come from this game was an injury scare with former #1 overall pick Alexis Lafreniere, who missed the final six minutes or so of this game. Lafreniere, who scored earlier in the contest, is expected to be ok.

The Last Devils-Rangers Game

The last time the Devils and Rangers met was a 3-1 loss late last season. I had the recap of that game as well and I must’ve been in some mood after watching another late-season loss by the Devils because I took a lot of people to task after the game.

In summary, the Devils didn’t make Alex Georgiev or the Rangers work hard enough in the defensive end, the Devils lost Jimmy Vesey to injury that night, Yegor Sharangovich (who scored the only Devils goal) left the game early as well, we learned officially that Jack Hughes was done for the season that night, and I took some shots at ownership for Rangers fans invading The Rock at the end of another lost, failed season. Good times.

Tonight’s Lineups?

The Devils and Rangers are both off on Wednesday after playing a back-to-back Monday and Tuesday. With the two teams playing each other in a home-and-home tonight and tomorrow night, I would expect both teams to continue with split-squad rosters through the weekend before making cuts.

One player who I would like to hear an update on is Nico Hischier. The Devils captain didn’t finish Monday’s game in Montreal due to “cramping”, only for us to find out on Tuesday that he’s undergoing further testing. If it were up to me, I’m not taking any chances with Hischier and am holding him out of further l preseason games until it turns out he’s ok.

Expect an update to this story Thursday morning once we see morning skate lineups and hear from head coach Lindy Ruff in his post-practice media session.

Reason #61499 Why I Don’t Like The Rangers

If you are reading this preview, you are most likely a fan of the New Jersey Devils. And if you are a fan of the Devils, you most likely do not like the New York Rangers. There are plenty of reasons not to like the Rangers, but I didn’t think “Ruining a historical moment involving my favorite baseball team” would be one of them. Until now.

A little backstory. Aside from the Devils, I root for the Yankees and the Giants. If I take a step back and look at everything over the course of my life, I have little to complain about as a sports fan. With that said, if anyone else happens to root for those three particular teams, it’s been a rough go over the last decade between the three of them. I haven’t had much as a sports fan to get invested in recently, but Aaron Judge chasing Roger Maris this season and tying his AL Home Run Record at 61 is one I certainly bit on as a sports fan and got into.

So of course, the Rangers had to go and ruin it by tweeting out a picture of the soon-to-be AL MVP wearing that hideous red, white, and blue jersey. Disgusting.

I hope the Devils win by 10 tonight, Friday, and every time the two teams meet. In perpetuity.

Final Thoughts

What do you think about tonight’s matchup? Who do you want to see play? Why do you dislike the Rangers? Please feel free to leave a comment below and thank you for reading!

Update

Tonight’s likely lineup, per Amanda Stein

The Rangers lineup is as follows