The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (3-3-0) versus the New York Rangers (6-2-0)
The Time: 7:00 PM EDT
The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN2/DAZN Streaming; Radio — Devils Hockey Network
The Rangers and Goaltending
Through eight games this season, the New York Rangers have goaltending numbers that eclipse the rest of the league. Despite Igor Shesterkin leaving his fifth start with a season-ending injury, Dylan Garand has picked up the baton and put up an incredibly impressive start to his NHL career. Garand has a .951 save percentage and 1.15
goals against average through three starts and four appearances, while the Rangers as a team have a .937 save percentage and 1.51 goals against average.
To date, in the 2026-27 NHL season, a league average goaltender has an .891 save percentage and 2.92 goals against average.
Since Shesterkin was injured on October 9, the Rangers have won the two games Garand started. Those were 6-2 and 4-1 wins over the Vancouver Canucks and Tampa Bay Lightning, respectively. Since Garand has had a day off between each game, I would expect to see him tonight. The Devils, meanwhile, have to choose between Jake Allen, Nico Daws, and Remi Poirier. After the last two games, I would not be terribly put off by Poirier making his debut tonight, though I do not expect Sheldon Keefe to fall back on that option just yet.
Lineup Questions
With Luke Evangelista out of the lineup on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings due to an illness, Sheldon Keefe took the opportunity to shake up each of the top three lines. Dawson Mercer played with Hischier and Meier while Arseny Grtisyuk played with Hughes and Bratt. This created a much different third line of Anthony Mantha, Evan Rodrigues, and Stefan Noesen, which scored the first goal of the game. The Devils dominated play at five-on-five for much of the game, but the box score did not quite reflect that as the Red Wings scored nearly two goals over expected.
If Evangelista plays tonight, I wonder how Keefe will balance the positive changes from Tuesday night (prior to the team getting too tired and not executing well in the third period) with his return. Despite playing pretty well for the most part, this may be a game where Amadeus Lombardi sits due to his frequent penalties. In six games, Lombardi has four minor penalties, though he has also put 12 shots on goal playing just 10 and a half minutes per game.
I also wonder if Brenden Dillon will draw back into the lineup. With this being a rivalry game and the Rangers having Matt Rempe on their roster, there is a chance today’s game could call for some extra physicality. However, there is not a clear lineup spot to swap Dillon into, as Declan Chisholm played a fine game against Detroit, and I am not sure Keefe would scratch Kovacevic for a lefty-lefty pairing.
Needing Points in the Division
While I won’t start fretting over the Devils being behind the Rangers in the standings yet — it’s way too early in the season — they do need to start winning their games in the Metropolitan Division in regulation. Last season, the Devils went 7-17-2 against divisional opponents, which was a large reason they missed the playoffs. This season, they are 1-1-0, having needed a shootout to beat the Flyers before being blown out by the Islanders. That’s not going to be good enough.
Furthermore, through six games, the Devils have only beaten the Vancouver Canucks in regulation. That cannot go on. Not only will giving other teams overtime points hurt the Devils in the standings over time, they will be down on crucial standings tiebreakers (regulation wins) late in the season. If they somehow do make the playoffs while continuing to play like this, there is no benefit of playing three-on-three in late April. They need to start winning games at five-on-five.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of tonight’s game? Will the Devils crack the code of the Rangers’ goaltending? What changes should Keefe make tonight if Evangelista is in? What should he do if Evangelista remains out? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.
