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NHL ECF Preview: New Jersey Devils @ New York Rangers - Game 2

May 16, 2012, 11:05 AM ET [119 Comments]
Todd Cordell
New Jersey Devils Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
*stats based on playoffs.

Match-up - Devils (48 wins, 102 points) @ Rangers (51 wins, 109 points)
Road/Home records - 24-15-2 -------------- 27-12-2
TV - NBCSN (HD), CBC (HD), RDS (HD)
Puck drop - 8:00 PM ET
Series score - 1-0 Rangers
Projected starting goalies - Martin Brodeur (NJ) vs. Henrik Lundqvist (NYR)

Battle of the stats

Goals for/against per game *

New York Rangers - 2.13 / 1.73
New Jersey - 2.77 / 2.38

Powerplay/Penalty Kill percentage *

New York Rangers - 15.8 / 82.6
New Jersey - 19.2% / 74.0%

Here are the projected lines (subject to change) for the Rangers:

Carl Hagelin - Brad Richards - Marian Gaborik
Chris Kreider - Derek Stepan - Ryan Callahan
Artem Anisimov - Brian Boyle - Ruslan Fedotenko
Mike Rupp - John Mitchell - Brandon Prust

Ryan McDonagh - Dan Girardi
Marc Staal - Anton Stralman
Michael Del Zotto - Stu Bickel

Here are the projected lines (subject to change) for the Devils:

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Ilya Kovalchuk
Petr Sykora - Patrik Elias - Dainius Zubrus
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Adam Henrique - David Clarkson
Ryan Carter - Stephen Gionta - Steve Bernier

Bryce Salvador- Marek Zidlicky
Andy Greene - Mark Fayne
Anton Volchenkov - Peter Harrold

Notes: Martin Brodeur will start...Cam Janssen, Eric Boulton, Adam Larsson and Tim Sestito are expected to sit as healthy scratches.

Rangers to watch out for:

Carl Hagelin - He didn't have any points, but his speed gave the Devils fits at times in Game 1. He was hard on the forecheck, flying around the ice and creating chances. He'll be looking to build off that tonight.

Ruslan Fedotenko - He's one of those underrated guys that you need to have to win. He blocks shots, kills penalties, chips in offensively here and there and is a great team guy. He was very effective in Game 1. Can he be as effective in Game 2?

Dan Girardi - He had a couple of bad turnovers in Game 1, but for the most part he was stellar. He blocked quite a few shots, scored the game winning goal and tallied an assist. If he can have another game like that today, the Rangers will likely be up 2-0 heading back to New Jersey.

Devils to watch out for:

Patrik Elias - He's been pretty quiet this post-season registering just five points (3G, 2A) in 13 games. The Devils are winning, for the most part, so his lack of production offensively hasn't hurt the Devils yet, but if they want to win this series he'll need to pick it up a little bit.

Zach Parise - He's back on the top line with Ilya Kovalchuk and Travis Zajac. Since they stacked up their top line again, they must produce more offense.

Martin Brodeur - He was by no means bad in Game 1, but he needs to be a little better in Game 2. You know Henrik Lundqvist isn't going to give the Devils many, if any, weak goals, so Brodeur must do the same.

Keys to the game

New York - Don't take stupid penalties

Everyone knows the Devils will come out flying tonight and they're going to get some good chances early. If you are a Rangers player, avoid stupid penalties at all cost. You have a Vezina and Hart finalist in net, so don't be afraid to use him. The Devils will get chances, it's inevitable, but there's no reason to give them even more by taking a penalty and putting more pressure on Lundqvist.

New Jersey - Stick to the game plan

The Devils will come out firing, and if they don't score or allow a goal early, they can't let it get in their heads. They need to stick to their game plan, as they did when trailing against the Flyers, and they'll have the best chance to have success.

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