Rangers at Devils
The All-Star break helped the New Jersey Devils snap out of a funk but had the opposite effect on the New York Rangers, stalling their momentum from a rare winning streak. After ending a three-game slide with a 6-3 rout of the Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey looks to continue the momentum when it hosts the Rangers on Thursday night in the first of four meetings this season.
Travis Zajac had his fourth career four-point game with a goal and three assists as the Devils drubbed Pittsburgh for only their sixth road win in 26 games (6-17-3). "Everyone looked fresh. Everyone was moving," New Jersey goaltender Keith Kinkaid said. "We just have to be consistent and that starts from me out to consistency the rest of the way." New York, which has a five-game homestand following Thursday's matchup, was denied in its bid to match a season-high winning streak in a 1-0 loss to Philadelphia. "We came out and we looked a little -- I don't want to say disjointed, but it just looked like the hands, the head and the feet weren't working together," Rangers coach David Quinn said.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN-Plus, MSG, MSG-Plus
ABOUT THE RANGERS (21-21-7): Kevin Hayes recorded a team high-tying nine shots on goal in his return to the lineup after missing nine games due to an upper-body injury, but he could be headed out of town given his status as an impending free agent. "I love everything about New York," Hayes said. "I've been here five years. I never thought I would call New York home and I do now, and it's been an absolute blast for five years. If I had my choice, I'd be here." Rookie Brett Howden suffered a knee sprain against the Flyers and was scheduled to undergo an MRI exam on Wednesday, but Quinn said he will be sidelined for a while.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (19-23-7): Defenseman Sami Vatanen suffered a concussion after he was knocked into the boards by Derick Brassard in Monday's game and was unable to practice Tuesday and Wednesday. “Next morning, he came in, got evaluated, but then he wasn’t feeling totally right,” New Jersey coach John Hynes said. “So they did the test (Tuesday) after practice. So I don’t have a timetable on him yet.” Reigning league MVP Taylor Hall, who has been sidelined since suffering a lower-body injury on Dec. 23, also did not practice Tuesday and Wednesday while defenseman Ben Lovejoy and forward Stefan Noesen are skating on their own.
OVERTIME
1. Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist has more wins (36) and shutouts (8) against the Devils than any other opponent.
2. New Jersey won three of four meetings last season and owns a six-game point streak (5-0-1) at home against New York.
3. Rangers F Mats Zuccarello is expected to be back in the lineup after missing Tuesday's game.