Devils just handed the Rangers the motivation they needed heading into offseason

The New York Rangers have been playing better hockey as of late, especially when compared to their brutal start to the season and their play with Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox both out with injuries in January. Lottery odds be damned, the Rangers are winning games late this season.

On Tuesday, the Rangers defeated the rival New Jersey Devils 4-1, preventing their rivals from completing the head-to-head sweep this season. The Rangers looked outmatched against the Devils in their previous matchups. But this time around, the Rangers had a complete game, and quite frankly, frustrated the Devils. The Rangers had 33 hits and 17 blocked shots, which were significantly more than what the Devils recorded. The highlight of the game was Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin fighting Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom.

After the game, a reporter relayed a quote to Rangers captain J.T. Miller from the Devils, who said the Rangers played hard the entire game. Miller said that this is the identity the Rangers want to build for the foreseeable future.

J.T. Miller says Rangers want to build identity of being a pain for opponents to play against

"That's part of the identity we're trying to build around here," said Miller. "That's the ultimate compliment - is being a pain in the ass for the other team to play against. To hear that should feel good because typically if you do that most nights you're going to get rewarded like we talk about. It's nice to get rewarded right now as a team and keep us rolling into the end of the year, feel good and have something positive going into the summer.

Did the Devils just give the Rangers motivation heading into next season? It sure sounds like it.

The Rangers brought in Miller last season to help bring a new culture to the locker room and onto the ice, which was noticeably tougher. That was why, months following the trade, Miller was named captain of the Rangers entering this season. Let's not forget that the team boasted their "No B.S." motto heading into training camp.

The results have been mixed at best for the Rangers. When they are good, they are good. But when they are bad, they look like pushovers. But this late in the season, with playoffs out of the question, the Rangers are using these remaining games to build momentum heading into the offseason. They can further evaluate the roster, and see if their young players can be fixtures on next year's roster.

As for the Devils, they are in the same boat as the Rangers, well out of a playoff spot. But they have more uncertainty surrounding them, as it's unknown if either general manager Tom Fitzgerald or head coach Sheldon Keefe will return next season. The team is expected to contend for a Stanley Cup with Jack Hughes on the roster, but they haven't gotten anywhere close to that since arriving in 2019. If a new front office or coaching staff were to arrive this offseason, that could mean changes to the roster.

The Rangers can take solace in knowing that they have shown promise late this season. They will certainly point to the dominant win over the Devils in late March.