New Jersey Devils vs New York Rangers Picks and Predictions December 23rd 2024

Devils Aim to Continue Defensive Dominance Against Rangers

The New Jersey Devils host the New York Rangers in Newark on Monday afternoon, seeking to extend their streak of defensive excellence and maintain their Metropolitan Division lead.

Devils Locking Down Opponents

The New Jersey Devils (20-7-3) have been a defensive powerhouse in recent games, holding their last six opponents to fewer than 20 shots on goal. Their most recent outing, a 3-0 shutout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, tied a franchise record set in 1999 for consecutive games allowing fewer than 20 shots.

Captain Nico Hischier, who leads the Devils with 17 goals, emphasized the importance of defensive consistency.

“If you’re strong in your defensive zone, you’re definitely going to win more games than lose,” Hischier said.

The Devils’ defense has complemented their potent offense, which features contributions from players like Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Timo Meier. In their first meeting with the Rangers on Dec. 2, the Devils cruised to a 5-1 victory behind two goals from Hughes and 38 saves from Jacob Markstrom.

Since then, New Jersey has gone 5-2-1, building a 14-point gap over the struggling Rangers.

“We know what we have in this room offensively,” defenseman Brenden Dillon said. “It just shows the type of team we can be when we do commit.”

Rangers Struggling for Consistency

The New York Rangers (12-18-2) have been mired in a difficult stretch, losing 12 of their last 16 games. During this slide, they’ve traded key players Jacob Trouba and Kaapo Kakko and struggled to generate offense, scoring two or fewer goals in 10 of their last 16 contests.

On Sunday, the Rangers fell 3-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes despite taking an early lead on Jimmy Vesey’s goal just 17 seconds into the game.

“It was a good start and then it just slowly slipped away from us,” said defenseman Adam Fox.

New York’s power play has been particularly ineffective, going 3-for-27 since Nov. 30. Against Carolina, they managed just one shot on four power-play opportunities.

Defenseman Braden Schneider acknowledged the urgency of the situation.

“Every game at this point is important, especially these division ones,” Schneider said. “We have to move on from tonight and make sure we’re ready to go.”

Who’s taking the top spot? Dive into NHL Metropolitan Division Odds & Predictions!

Key Matchup

The Devils’ defensive structure will be the focal point against a Rangers team struggling to generate offensive chances. New Jersey’s ability to limit shots and maintain possession will be critical in extending their defensive dominance.

For the Rangers, the challenge lies in breaking through New Jersey’s defense and finding consistency on the power play. Players like Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin must step up to spark the offense.