The Battle of the Hudson does feel a little more relevant this time around.
It is a given that Rangers-Devils always carries a little something extra, even if both teams were at the bottom of the standings. But the Battle of the Hudson does feel a little more relevant this time around, with the Devils sitting in first place in the Metropolitan Division and the Rangers just above the playoff cutline as they ready for their second meeting of the season Monday.
“I watch a lot of their games, you see their games on TV,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said of the Devils. “Nothing to learn about them, they’re a good team. They were a young team that got better every year. They got some real good star players on that team, they play a fast game. It’s not a surprise to me. I knew they were gonna take a step this year, but they’re playing really well.
It all adds up to a rivalry game with some juice — and the first time in a long time that the Battle of the Hudson has some weight outside local bragging rights. If that weren’t enough, the divisional implications of any game within the Metro are big. Going into Sunday, just six points separated the second-place Hurricanes from the sixth-place Capitals, with the Rangers on the median of 33 points. “Seems like every time you’re checking scores, it seems like a team that’s in our division is winning,” Lindgren said. “Obviously we gotta keep up with that.”
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