The New York Rangers hope to play spoiler on Tuesday night, as the Devils seek to hold off the Florida Panthers and secure a playoff spot.
Records: New York Rangers (34-36-9, 77 pts), New Jersey Devils (42-28-9, 93 pts)
Head-to-head: New York Rangers (1-1-1), New Jersey Devils (2-1-0)
The New York Rangers will have a chance to put a dent in their rivals’ playoff chances in New Jersey on Tuesday night. The Devils currently occupy the last wild card spot in the East. The Florida Panthers, five points back but with a game in hand, are hard on their heels.
While the Panthers’ playoff hopes are fading as the season winds down, they could get a big boost if the Rangers steal two points from the Devils.
That could be a tall order, however. The Devils took two games out of three against the Rangers during the first half of the season, and they’ve been even better of late. New Jersey is 7-2-1 in their last ten games, led by the prolific scoring of Taylor Hall.
In fact, Hall’s heroics have vaulted him into the Hart Trophy conversation. His team-leading 89 points are an astounding 38 better than the Devils’ second-leading scorer (rookie Nico Hischier has 51).
Hall is a top-end winger in the NHL and has been for years. But the surprising other factor in the Devils’ recent play is goaltender Keith Kinkaid. After Corey Schneider went down with an injury last month, Kinkaid stepped in and never let go of the reins. He’s 4-0-1 in his last five games, posting a .926 save percentage over that span.