Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils dominated the first two meetings with the New York Rangers last month as part of their ascent in the Metropolitan Division.
This time, the Devils enter Thursday’s visit to the struggling Rangers amid a rough patch.
New Jersey outscored New York 10-1 in two meetings on Dec. 2 and Dec. 23. Hughes had four goals and two assists across those games, giving him 15 goals and 26 points in 22 regular-season meetings against the Rangers.
Hughes scored twice as part of a three-point night in a 5-1 rout in New York, with Jacob Markstrom making 38 saves for New Jersey. The former top overall pick scored two more goals to go along with an assist in the second meeting, a 5-0 blowout in New Jersey. The Devils scored three power-play goals and held the Rangers to 12 shots in that one.
New Jersey is 2-4-0 since the last encounter and 1-for-12 on the power play in that span. The Devils matched their longest losing streak of the season by dropping four straight to begin a six-game trip, but they ended the slide by hanging on for a 3-2 win over the Seattle Kraken on Monday.
Hughes has not scored since his second three-point showing against the Rangers, equaling his longest stretch without a goal this season (Nov. 14-27). He had the primary assist on Ondrej Palat’s eventual game-winning goal 2:01 into the third period less than a minute after the Devils allowed the tying power-play tally to Seattle.
“It’s not a fun feeling when you lose a few in a row and I don’t want to revisit that feeling and this is the last game of the road trip and we needed a win, we needed to get back to winning hockey games and stringing wins together,” Markstrom said. “You’ve got to start somewhere and today was a big effort for our group.”
New York’s two losses to the Devils are part of a 6-16-1 slide since winning three straight Nov. 14-19. Those defeats are among seven by at least three goals in the current slide, which continued with Tuesday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the visiting Dallas Stars. The Rangers are 3-6-1 in their past 10 home games.
New York’s latest loss might have been among its more frustrating since it blew a three-goal lead after tallying three times in a span of 4:28 in the opening period. Both Alexis Lafreniere and Vincent Trocheck scored twice, with Trocheck’s second goal giving the Rangers a 4-3 lead in the third period.
“We had a good start, but you play like 10 good minutes, it’s not gonna be enough,” Lafreniere said after the Rangers allowed five goals for the 10th time during their slide. “You gotta play 60 (minutes), especially against a good team like that. If we don’t defend, they’re going to score for sure.”
The Rangers took the loss on Monday after putting Chris Kreider on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, and they also lost Filip Chytil to the same injury after the second period.
Arthur Kaliyev, who has yet to play this season, skated in Chytil’s place at practice on Wednesday and could make his debut for the Rangers after being claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings on Monday.
Jonathan Quick started for the Rangers on Monday and could be in goal again if Igor Shesterkin (upper-body injury) is not ready to return from injured reserve. Shesterkin practiced Wednesday after participating in the morning skate on Tuesday.
