The Matchup: New Jersey Devils @ New York Rangers
The Time: 7:00pm ET
The Broadcast:
MSGSN, MSG, Devils Hockey Radio NetworkA Less Experienced Lineup
In the Devils’ last preseason game, also against the Rangers, New Jersey iced closed to their full complement of NHL players. Tonight will be different, as it is expected to be an AHL-heavy lineup at Madison Square Garden:
Aside from the top line and maybe Lenni Hameenaho, this entire group will almost certainly start in Utica. With one more preseason game to go after this one, I imagine we see the big boys once again in the preseason finale after skating in the last game.
We also got confirmation on the goaltending plans for the final two preseason tilts:
This will be a good opportunity for Daws. He got the win last time out, and his numbers didn’t look awful, but he gave up two bad goals in the process. It’s the preseason so it’s not worth getting worked up over, but a bounce back effort in a full game tonight would be encouraging.
The Names To Watch
Aside from Daws, I’ll be keeping a close eye on Amadeus Lombardi tonight. After all the praise heaped on him by Sunny Mehta in the offseason, and after even more praise heaped on him by the media about how good he’s looked in camp, it’s hard not to get excited that the Devils might have uncovered a hidden gem. He’ll be getting top line minutes with two other NHLers, so it’ll be a good opportunity for him this evening.
Elsewhere, Jesper Boqvist looked terrific last time out. I want to see if he can stack good outings together. Stefan Noesen will be interesting to me as well, since he’s most likely one of the players fighting for that 12th/13th forward role on the big club.
Lastly, Seamus Casey and Lenni Hameenaho will be interesting watches for me as well. They’re both most likely ticketed for AHL Utica, but it’s very possible (likely?) that we see both of them at some point this season when injuries and/or poor performances mount. Both have shown flashes of strong potential in their brief time in the NHL, and I would love to see them continue to improve and really force their way into the plans for this season and beyond. Obviously tonight’s preseason game will not decide that, but it would still be good to see them put together quality performances.
And In The Other Corner
This is how the Rangers looked in their practice yesterday:
It’s hard to tell if this is the group we’ll see tonight. On Monday against the Devils, they basically played their Hartford Wolf Pack roster. And then the next night against the Islanders, they played most of their regulars with some young guns mixed in. At this time, neither the Rangers or any of their beat writers have confirmed the roster they’ll throw out there this evening. So if I had to guess, I would say we see something similar to what they did Tuesday: A half-and-half lineup of NHLers and AHLers.
Your Take
What will you be looking out for tonight? Who on the Devils really has their stock pointed up in your opinion? What about stock down? Who on the Rangers will you be most interested to see? As always, thanks for reading!
