Rangers at Devils
The New York Rangers have surged into third place into the Metropolitan Division and take the league's best road record into a matchup at the neighborhood New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. The first team to reach 20 wins away from home, the Rangers look to beat the Devils for the third time in as many meetings this season.
New York improved to 8-1-1 in February with a 2-1 shootout win at Toronto on Thursday to move one point ahead of division rival Columbus, which visits the Rangers on Sunday. Chris Kreider is mired in a six-game goal-scoring drought since establishing a career high with his 22nd versus Nashville, but he recorded a pair of tallies and an assist in the two wins over New Jersey. While New York is sizzling on the road, the Devils continue to sputter at home, winning only three of their last 13 games (3-8-2) at Prudential Center to fall eight points out of the second wild card. “Yeah, our backs are up against the wall now and every game has got to be played like it’s the one that’s going to knock us out,” New Jersey forward Kyle Palmieri said.
TV: 5 p.m. ET, MSG, MSG-Plus
ABOUT THE RANGERS (39-19-2): Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is poised to reach a major milestone, needing one victory to move into a tie with Grant Fuhr for 10th place on the all-time wins list with 403. However, Lundqvist will have to wait until Sunday against Columbus for a shot at that win. Although Lundqvist has more wins (35) and shutouts (eight) against New Jersey than any other opponent, Antti Raanta, who blanked the Devils on Dec. 19 to improve to 3-0-0 against them, will get the nod Saturday.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (25-25-10): Offensively challenged New Jersey, which ranks 29th in the league in scoring, absorbed another blow when rookie forward Pavel Zacha sustained a concussion in Tuesday's game and was ruled out of Saturday's matchup. Although Pacha, the sixth overall pick in the 2015 draft, has only eight goals and 16 points in 52 games, four of those tallies have come in the past nine contests. Cory Schneider, who is 4-6-2 lifetime versus New York, will get the start Saturday.
OVERTIME
1. New York is 1-for-22 on the power play over the past eight games.
2. New Jersey placed D Seth Helgeson on waivers Friday.
3. Rangers D Kevin Klein is expected to sit out both games this weekend due to back spasms.