Devils vs. Rangers Preview: Rivalry Renewed

The New Jersey Devils will take on the New York Rangers for the first time since the two teams faced each other in a 7-game series last postseason

The New Jersey Devils picked up an important win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday and will look to build off that against the New York Rangers tonight in Part 1 of the Hudson River Rivalry. Here's what to watch. 

Devils Facing Different Rangers Team

This is not the same Rangers team from the playoffs or the regular season in 2022-23. They're playing a much different style of hockey under new head coach Peter Laviolette, and so far, it's paid dividends, especially since they've been dealing with some injuries. 

Instead of a more uptempo style that they played under Gerard Gallant, the Rangers have scaled it back and are playing a more conservative defensive style at five-on-five. They're giving up an average of 2.45 expected goals per 60 minutes, a top-10 ten rate in the NHL. 

However, that's come at the expense of their five-on-five offense. The Rangers are only generating 2.32 expected goals, tied for third-worst in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues. 

Even without Jack Hughes, who could return tonight, the Devils have been faring quite well at five-on-five. They have a 54.1 expected goals percentage (xG%) and have been generating quite a bit of offense while doing a decent job defensively. 

The Devils have a pretty noticeable advantage at five-on-five, especially if Hughes returns, and their speed could cause problems for a Rangers team that's not pushing the pace and looking to slow things down. 

Power-Play Merchant vs. Power-Play Merchant