Rangers at Devils
THE STORY: In a scheduling oddity, the neighboring New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils have yet to square off this season despite the fact that more the one-third of the schedule is in the books. That will change Tuesday when the Rangers make the short trek for the first of six meetings between the Atlantic Division rivals. The Devils are playing their best hockey of the season, having reeled off four consecutive victories, and are eager to see how they stack up against the Rangers. “We know they’re better than us in the standings,” Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur said. “They have more points and they have games in hand ... so it’s a big game for us. Again, you always challenge yourself when you play against better teams.” New York is tied for the fewest regulation losses in the league after pulling out a stunning 3-2 win Saturday at Phoenix on Brad Richards’ goal with one-tenth of a second to play.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG, MSG Plus
ABOUT THE RANGERS (18-8-4): New York’s dramatic win against the Coyotes snapped a two-game losing streak but came at a heavy price. Defenseman Steve Eminger suffered a separated shoulder and is expected to be sidelined for 8-to-10 weeks. It is another blow to the Rangers’ battered blue line, which already is without Marc Staal and Michael Sauer because of concussions. Marian Gaborik scored a pair of goals - his 16th and 17th - against Phoenix in his 300th career game.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (18-13-1): Left wing Patrik Elias reached a milestone with two goals in Saturday’s 5-3 victory at Montreal that made him the franchise’s career leader with 348 tallies. However, Elias was unable to practice Monday because of illness and is questionable for Tuesday’s game. The Devils have won six of seven overall and have scored 19 goals during their winning streak. Right wing Ilya Kovalchuk has a four-game points streak, and six goals and eight assists in his last 11.
OVERTIME:
1. The Rangers won four of the six meetings last season, limiting the Devils to a total of eight goals. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was in net for each game. He is 22-9-5 with 1.85 goals against average and five shutouts lifetime against New Jersey.
2. Brodeur evened his record at 8-8-0 with Saturday's win. He is 43-26-15-5 with a 2.13 goals against average all-time versus the Rangers.
3. New Jersey coach Peter DeBoer left at the end of Monday’s practice after feeling ill.