Game Preview #74: New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers
Will the Devils go 3-0 in their season series against the Rangers tonight?
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 18: Jack Hughes #86 of the New Jersey Devils skates with the puck against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on March 18, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (38-33-2) at the New York Rangers (30-35-9) The Time: 7:00 PM EDT The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN, MSG2; Radio — Devils Hockey Network Final Rangers Matchup Thanks to the NHL schedule being designed in the way it is, the Devils only get to play the New York Rangers three times this season, with tonight being the final matchup. The Devils won the previous two games 6-3, outshooting the Rangers 74 to 38 across those 120 minutes.
Both nights, the Rangers sent Jonathan Quick out to be their sacrificial lamb, as he withstood 11 of the 12 goals against without being pulled either night (the sixth goal in the first game was an empty netter). I cannot imagine that the Rangers would do that to Quick again, as I would not have blamed him for contemplating retirement during either of those games. The Rangers had no answer for the Devils’ attack.
Will that change tonight? Despite some brutal losses effectively taking the Devils out of the playoff race, the Devils have been a very strong offensive team in the month of March. In total, they are 9-4-0 with 53 goals, outshooting opponents 424-335.
If you wanted to find the previous 53 goals the Devils scored before March, you would have to look at a span of 27 games from December 17 to February 28, in which the team played 27 games and went 11-15-1. The Devils have flipped their scoring woes entirely this month. The Iron Man Today will mark Dawson Mercer’s 402nd consecutive game played, which will have him pass Travis Zajac as the all-time iron man streak holder for the New Jersey Devils.