Devils at Rangers
The New York Rangers remain the talk of the town, not for their lofty standing atop the Metropolitan Division but rather having former Vezina Trophy winner Henrik Lundqvist remain on the bench in favor of Antti Raanta. After sitting out two straight games for the first time since 2013-14, Lundqvist (12-8-1, 2.55 goals-against average) is expected to get the call on Sunday in the latest version of the Hudson River Rivalry as the Rangers host the New Jersey Devils.
While coach Alain Vigneault reiterated for the record that "Hank's the guy," the 34-year-old Swede told Newsday that "I don't expect to play if I don't play well." Raanta (7-1-0, 1.83 GAA) capped back-to-back strong efforts with a 26-save performance in a 1-0 overtime win over Chicago on Friday for New York, which returns to Madison Square Garden where it boasts a 10-4-1 mark and faces a New Jersey club that is just 4-8-4 on the road. The Devils yielded at least four goals for the eighth time in their last 11 games with a 4-1 setback to St. Louis on Friday. "We have to get back to playing a little bit more structured," captain Andy Greene told NorthJersey.com. "Our system, it's not about Xs and Os. We know our system. It's about working hard and being in the right places."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New Jersey), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE DEVILS (12-9-6): Cory Schneider hopes a rare night off (the ice) will help him get back on track (on the ice), as the 30-year-old has permitted at least four goals in four of his last six starts and owns a 1-7-3 mark with a 3.09 GAA in 11 outings on the road. Taylor Hall has been clicking on all cylinders however, notching an assist on former Ranger PA Parenteau's goal Friday for his eighth point (three goals, five assists) in his last four outings. Parenteau's tally snapped a 14-game drought and extended his point streak to three games (one goal, two assists) heading into a tilt with New York, against which he owns 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 18 career encounters.
ABOUT THE RANGERS (19-9-1): New York's NHL-leading offense (3.45 goals per game) was limited to just one tally on Friday, but defenseman Nick Holden's goal in overtime gave the club its third win in four outings. While Derek Stepan and captain Ryan McDonagh each set up a goal for the second straight contest to remain tied with a team-best 15 assists, the former also won 15 of 21 draws on Friday while the latter registered a team-high seven blocked shots and logged a game-high 26:33 of ice time versus the Blackhawks. Both traditionally have tormented the Devils to boot, with Stepan recording 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists, plus-12 rating) in 28 encounters while McDonagh is a plus-10 in 24 games.
OVERTIME
1. New Jersey LW veteran Michael Cammalleri is one point shy of 600 for his career.
2. New York's plus-30 goal differential is tops in the NHL and marks the first time the club has accomplished the feat in 29 games since the 1993-94 season.
3. Devils C Travis Zajac (team-leading 21 points) has been held off the scoresheet in back-to-back outings after collecting three goals and three assists in his previous three.