Rangers pay visit to snowy New Jersey

Tuesday, 12.28.2010 / 5:22 PM
David Kalan - NHL.com Staff Writer
RANGERS (21-14-2) at DEVILS (9-24-2)

TV -- MSG (HD), MSG PLUS 2

Last 10 -- New York 6-3-1; New Jersey 1-9-0

Season series -- New York leads the season series 2-0, with its most recent meeting with New Jersey a 3-0 victory on Nov. 5 at Prudential Center.

Big story -- The Rangers, in the midst of an impressive campaign, can move to 3-0 against the suddenly hapless Devils in their final time on the ice in 2010.

Team Scope:

Rangers -- A blizzard blanketed New York City early Monday morning, but the Rangers appeared too busy blanketing the Islanders' net in rubber Monday night to notice. The Blueshirts registered 52 shots in a 7-2 win, giving New York its fourth victory in the last six games after Matt Gilroy's goal 44 seconds in set the tone early.

New York's recent run has moved it to sixth in the Eastern Conference (third in the Atlantic Division) while displaying an offense that is finally giving goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who bounced back Monday after losing two straight starts, the kind of support he's often lacked. Marian Gaborik scored in his return after missing one game with a groin injury, while Brian Boyle has chipped in with 4 points in the last two games. Things seem to be going well for the Rangers as they cross the Hudson to start a three-game road trip Wednesday, which will also take them to Tampa Bay and Florida.

Devils -- Offense was never the focus of New Jersey's game when it won three Cups in the late 1990s and early 2000s -- though the Devils actually led the NHL in goals in the 2000-01 season -- but scoring in Newark has been nearly nonexistent recently. In losing their last five games, the Devils scored exactly one goal each time out, with Ohio State alum Rod Pelley winning the lottery in their last game, a 4-1 loss to the Maple Leafs on Sunday. The team, as a result of losing 10 of the 11 games it's played in December, has dropped to last in the East with little hope of a turnaround in sight.

Such struggles must be particularly vexing for Jacques Lemaire, a man who coached the team to its first championship in 1995, but has seen the Devils lose both games since he replaced John MacLean on Dec. 23 by a combined score of 9-2. But what must be far more alarming for Lemaire is the shocking play of future Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur. Arguably the greatest netminder of all time, Brodeur has a League-worst 17 regulation losses this season against just five wins, and the League's all-time wins leader has surrendered eight goals on the last 28 shots he's faced. Whether Lemaire's answer comes from the front end or the back end, something must change soon if New Jersey is to mount any sort of run at a playoff spot.

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