At 11-2-1, it has been a fairytale start to the season for new head coach Peter Laviolette and the New York Rangers. The injuries to Adam Fox, Filip Chytil, and Igor Shesterkin dampened the mood, but the Blueshirts have gone 3-0-1 without them, extending their point streak to an impressive 10 games.
The Rangers have had a favorable start to the NHL schedule, facing opponents on the weaker side. They did go 5-0-0 on a West Coast road trip and have beaten some good teams, but the challenging part has yet to come. That will all change after this five-day layoff when the Rangers take on the New Jersey Devils in a rematch of last year’s first-round playoff matchup.
The Hudson River rivalry always brings hatred on the ice and between the fanbases. And despite the majority of the focus shifting to the Devils at the moment, what awaits on the horizon is equally challenging. Including Saturday’s clash with the Devils, the Rangers will take on six opponents with a record above .500 in their next seven games.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, Dallas Stars, and Boston Bruins are among those opponents, with the Bruins atop the league standings and the Stars ranked third in the Western Conference. It will be a litmus test for a team that is riding a 10-game point streak but is also without some key players. However, there is optimism that Shesterkin will be back (from ‘Rangers dealing with Ryan Lindgren worry as team gets some positive injury news,’ NY Post, 11/14/23).
Saturday’s game is a much-anticipated rematch with the Devils, which undoubtedly will rehash memories of the blown 2-0 series lead the Rangers gave up during the 2023 First Round. The Rangers could make a statement in that game, showing they are much improved from last season, carrying on their winning ways into another two weeks of top-tier matchups.
Rangers vs. Devils: Will the Injured Players Return?
Rivalry games are always highly anticipated, but this one has added intrigue. The Devils have lost four of their last six but are coming off a 5-2 victory over the Penguins on Nov. 16. Their 8-6-1 record is far from the expectations they were burdened with before the season, so they will be hungry for a statement win against the Rangers.
The Blueshirts have only been winning since their 2-2-0 start to the season. They are 9-0-1 in their last 10, but a statement win is also in order against New Jersey. Like the Rangers, the Devils have battled the injury bug and are missing key players.
Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier missed time, and veteran forward Timo Meier did not play on Thursday night against the Penguins, adding him to their growing list of concerns, but there will be no sympathy from across the Hudson.
Related: Rangers Have a Filip Chytil Injury Problem
Yet, the biggest storyline heading into the game is which injured players will suit up. Shesterkin is in line to return on Saturday — a massive lift to a group that has been getting stellar goaltending from their backups in his absence — and Ryan Lindgren, who departed early from the win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, is back on the ice and should play Saturday.
Hughes seems to be gearing up for a return for the Devils, with Meier’s status remaining in flux. As with most games, this edition of the Hudson River rivalry will surely be electric, as the Rangers face arguably their biggest test of the season in the Devils.
Gauntlet of Games Following the Hudson River Rivalry
Looking past Saturday’s matchup, the Rangers’ schedule is about to get significantly harder. They take on the Stars on Nov. 20, followed by meetings with the Penguins, back-to-back against the Philadelphia Flyers and Bruins, and finish the month with games against the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings.
The Rangers are off to a fabulous start, but in the eyes of many, they still need to prove they can beat the league’s elite. They passed their first test with a gutsy 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 2. Now they will be tested nightly on this upcoming stretch, which includes a massive litmus test against the Bruins. Boston is not only the East’s top team, but beat the Rangers in all three matchups last season.
Laviolette has forced his team to pay closer attention to the defensive side of the puck, and with the goaltending they have received, the Rangers have been able to withstand the rash of injuries. Defense will be paramount as they will face star-studded players like Dallas’ Jason Robertson, Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, Boston’s David Pastrnak, and many others.
You can only play the games on your schedule; every team plays the bottom-tier teams at least twice. The Rangers had to take advantage of this early stretch and they did. Now, the real challenge begins, and fans will see precisely what the team is made of through the second half of the month.
The following two weeks are every fan’s dream. High-quality and entertaining matchups are all over the schedule for the Rangers. The chips are all-in on the Rangers this season, with the aspirations of winning a Stanley Cup almost palpable around the team and fan base. The Cup isn’t won in November, but a solid finish to the month will allow the Rangers a much easier route to the postseason, and that is all you can ask for.
So far, the Rangers have passed every challenge thrown their way. It’s time for them to embrace their next challenge, and time will tell if they pass it with flying colors, as they have all the rest.
