Hudson River Rivalry
It’s shore versus city, bagels versus pizza, The Boss versus The Beastie Boys and Devils versus Rangers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
These two teams have been neck-and-neck in the Metro all season long, and they finally come to head this week.
Here’s how each team from the Hudson River Rivalry looks heading into the Rock:
New Jersey Devils
The Devils finished second in the Metro and will have the home-ice advantage as the Rangers come to the Prudential Center.
The Devils won the series, 3-0-1, and won both games at the Rock in the regular season.
New Jersey is undoubtedly one of the most talented teams in the league, but it’s also the youngest. Captain Nico Hischier is 24, alternate captain Jack Hughes is 21 and newest member of the team, Luke Hughes is 19.
Jack Hughes had a personal-best season, setting his record in goals (43), assists (56) and points (99).
The Devils took one of the most coveted players at the trade deadline, Timo Meier, in a blockbuster deal that sent lots of prospects to San Jose. Meier had 14 points in 21 games with New Jersey in the regular season.
The Devils also have one of the most stacked power play units in the league, with Meier, Hischier, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Dougie Hamilton on the man-up advantage.
The season was written in the stars for the Devils, but they aren’t out of the woods until they defeat their neighbors across the river.
New York Rangers
The Rangers finished third in the Metro and didn’t have a lot of luck against their Hudson River rivals in the regular season.
There was a chance for the Rangers to catch up to the Devils and the first-place Carolina Hurricanes but end-of-season struggles blew those chances out of the water.
The Rangers made huge deals at the trade deadline, and their acquisitions in Vladimir Tarasenko, Niko Mikkola and Patrick Kane. Tarasenko spent a lot of time on the first “Kreibanejad” line, but it’s likely that Kane will play there against the Devils.
The Rangers had to switch around defensive pairings after K’Andre Miller’s suspension and Ryan Lindgren’s injury late in the season, but captain Jacob Trouba provided big hits and Mikkola and Braden Schneider stepped up and held the core together.
Igor Shesterkin had an excellent regular season, but it wasn’t the same as his Vezna-winning performance. However, Jaroslav Halak proved himself as a strong backup goalie and looked solid in the net in all his appearances.
Will the Rangers hear the calls of “Matteau, Matteau, Matteau” this time around? In order to do so, they’ve got to change the lines around, get everyone on the ice and play physically.
The Matchup
Tuesday’s game will start at 7 p.m. and will be televised on TBS or the MSG networks.
The teams will play four games, with the first two at the Prudential Center and the second two at Madison Square Garden, and the series will be pushed to as many as seven games if needed.
Adrianna Gallucci is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email amg7989@psu.edu.
