It's mid-March and the New Jersey Devils (34-31-2) and New York Rangers (28-31-8) are meeting for the second time this season. In fact, all three of their meetings are this month amid this condensed schedule of 2025-26.
Perhaps with an 84-game schedule next year, the meetings could be a little more extended and frequent.
Anyway, neither the Devils nor the Rangers are headed to the postseason this year. Still, the Devils (6-4-0) and Rangers (6-2-2) are trying to show a little fight.
Let's dive into tonight's matchup.
What to know vs Rangers
- The Devils and Broadway Blueshirts will face off for the second of three games as their regular season series concludes on March 31
On MSG.
-Jack Hughes has recorded 19 career goals against the Rangers, which leads all NHL skaters since making his NHL debut in 2019-
-His 32 career points against the Rangers are second only to D. Pastrnak (34) for all NHL skaters since 2019-20.
-Hughes's 32 career points are his most against a single NHL opponent. The 2019 No. 1 overall draft selection New York's Igor Shesterkin has 10 career goals, leading all other NHL skaters. Sam Reinhart is second with nine, while four others have eight.
—The Devils were 3–0–1 against New York last season, while last year's series marked the first time in team history that the Devils did not give up a goal at home against the Rangers.
—Last season marked the first time since 2003–04 that the Devils defeated the Rangers twice in the same season.
-Hughes earned his fourth career hat trick in the first matchup of the 2025-26 Hudson River Rivalry
2025-26 vs rangers
March 7/26 W 6-3 Prudential Center
March 18/26 7:00 PM ET Madison Square Garden
March 31/26 7:00 PM ET Prudential Center
devils vs rangers
All-time record: 114-122-27-13
All-time home record: 73-55-7-5
All-time road record: 41-67-20-8
Projected Devils Lineup*
Ahead
Timo Meyer - Nico Hischier - Dawson Mercer
Jasper Bratt - Jack Hughes - Connor Brown
Arseny Gritsyuk - Cody Glass - Lenny Haminaho
Paul Couture - Nick Bjugstad - Maxim Tsyplyakov
defenseman
Jonas Seigenthaler - Dougie Hamilton
Luke Hughes - Jonathan Kovacevic
Brendan Dillon - Simon Nemec
goaltender
jacob markstrom
jake allen
*Lineup is subject to change
Current Injuries: Jack McEwen (upper body, out for the season)
2025-26 Total man-games lost: 286
Projected Rangers Lineup*
Ahead
Gabe Perreault - Mika Zibanejad - Alexis Lafreniere
Will Quile - Vincent Trocheck - JT Miller
Ty Carti - Noah Proffitt - Connor Sherry
Taylor Radish - Adam Edstrom - Jaroslav Chmeler
defenseman
Matthew Robertson - Adam Fox
Vladislav Gavrikov - Braden Schneider
Urho Vakkanen - Will Borgen
goaltender
Igor Shesterkin
jonathan quick
*Lineup is subject to change
How to watch the Devils game - 7:00 pm ET
Watch: TNT/HBO/MAX
radio: devils hockey net
next up
Wednesday, March 18, NYR at 7:00 PMET
Friday, March 20th WSH at 7:00 PMET
Tuesday, March 24 at 8:00 PM DAL
Thu, Mar 26 at 8:00pm NSH
Saturday, March 28 CAR 5:00 PM
