NHL Game Preview: New Jersey Devils (38-33-2) vs. New York Rangers (30-35-9)

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Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET
TV: MSGSN / MSG 2 (local); ESPN+ nationally; Radio: 88.7 FM / Bloomberg 1130 AM (Devils), 98.7 FM The Fan (Rangers)

Recent Team Forms

Devils (resilient: 6-4 in last 10, W1): New Jersey has shown fight with road wins at Dallas (6-4 on Mar. 24), Nashville (4-2 on Mar. 26), and a comeback 5-3 home victory over Chicago (Mar. 29). They dropped a 2-5 decision at Carolina (Mar. 28). Offense has averaged 3.4+ goals lately, powered by Jack Hughes’ dynamic play and secondary scoring bursts, though defensive consistency has been an issue on the road.

Rangers (improving but inconsistent: 4-6 in last 10, W2): New York has snapped a longer skid with back-to-back wins: 6-1 over Chicago (Mar. 27) and 3-1 over Florida (Mar. 29). Prior results included losses to Toronto (3-4 on Mar. 25), Ottawa (1-2 on Mar. 23), and Winnipeg (2-3 on Mar. 22). Scoring has been sporadic (averaging ~2.8 GPG recently), with goaltending and special teams showing signs of life at home.

Injury Report

New Jersey Devils:

Arseny Gritsyuk (RW) – Day-to-Day (undisclosed; missed Mar. 29 vs. Chicago)

Brett Pesce (D) – OUT (lower body; questionable for return before season end)

Stefan Noesen (RW) – OUT for season (knee)

Zack MacEwen (RW) – OUT for season (ACL)

The Devils are thin on the wing and blue line but have their core forwards and goaltending available.

New York Rangers:

Jonathan Quick (G) – Day-to-Day (upper body)

Matt Rempe (RW/C) – OUT for season (thumb)

Urho Vaakanainen (D) – OUT (upper body)

Rangers’ goaltending depth is tested if Quick is limited, forcing reliance on Igor Shesterkin and any available backups.

Key Player Matchups

Jack Hughes / Nico Hischier (Devils top forwards) vs. Rangers defensive structure: Hughes’ speed and creativity (recent multi-point games) will test New York’s transition defense and penalty kill.

Igor Shesterkin (Rangers, franchise goalie) vs. Devils high-octane attack: Shesterkin must steal minutes against a Devils group averaging strong road scoring.

Chris Kreider / Mika Zibanejad (Rangers veterans) vs. Devils penalty kill and back end: New York’s top line needs to generate against a Devils squad motivated to play spoiler.

Special teams: Devils PP (strong lately) vs. Rangers PK; both units have been inconsistent but could decide a low-event rivalry game.

Series History

The Devils have dominated the 2025-26 season series 2-0, winning 6-3 on March 7 (at NJD) and 6-3 on March 18 (at MSG). Historically, the rivalry remains competitive, but New Jersey has owned recent matchups with superior depth and speed. Games at MSG tend to be higher-scoring when these Hudson River rivals meet.

Betting Trends

Devils are 19-18-0 on the road and have covered as slight favorites in recent wins against Metro foes.

Rangers are 4-6 in last 10 and poor ATS at home (11-18-7 record overall).

Head-to-head games this season have gone Over 5.5 (both 6-3 outcomes); rivalry contests often produce goals.

Devils rank higher in goals scored; Rangers have been leaky defensively lately.

Game Odds

New Jersey Devils            – 120

New York Rangers           6.5

Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Monday, March 30, 2026