NEW YORK, N.Y. -Devils defenseman Ryan Graves left Saturday afternoon's game against Boston late in the third period. He will take warmup tonight for New Jersey.
"We'll see after that," head coach Lindy Ruff said about Graves' status for the game.
Speed
The Rangers are built similar to that of Florida, as in both club's like to play a speed game and score with high-end talent. The Devils took advantage of the Panthers' style by counterattacking with their own speed in route to a 7-3 victory Tuesday.
"Florida had good speed. They had four or five guys on the rush," Ruff said. "These guys (Rangers) put a lot of players on the rush, too. If we manage (the puck) well, we can get some good opportunities going the other way, whether we can finish on those opportunities (remains to be seen)."
The Devils' puck management cost them against Boston, 5-2 loss, Saturday afternoon. They're hoping to rectify that or suffer the same fate against the Rangers.
"They have some explosive guys," Ruff said. "We have to make sure we manage the puck when we're on the ice against them. Every team has a strength. When you look at (Chris) Kreider, (Mika) Zibanejad, (Artemi) Panarin, they have some players that are extremely offensively talented. If you give them high-quality opportunities, those guys don't miss."
Chippy
The last time the Devils and Rangers faced each other, which happened to also be in Madison Square Garden during the preseason, some heated events took place after Devils defenseman P.K. Subban knocked Rangers forward Ryan Reaves out of the game as they collided going into the corner.
Subban's skate clipped Reaves and he fell awkwardly. He needed help off the ice, but was able to make a quick return in the following days. However, that evening the Rangers, particularly Kreider, looked to exact some revenge on Subban and there was plenty of "chippyness" from that point on.
Whether or not any of that bad blood spills over remains to be seen. Although, the rivalry between the clubs combined with their tight positioning in the Metro Division could be enough of a backdrop for some high tension.
"Sometimes that unfolds in a game," Ruff said. "I think it's going to be a game where both teams know what it means. We're close in the standings. I know it's early in the year, but these are all four-point games. The teams in our division, every team is over .500. We know how important the game is. One thing we have to be is disciplined in penalties whether it gets chippy or not, as the game unfolds you'll see."
5-Game Block
Ruff has said that he looks at a season broken into five-game blocks where he wants his team to earn six points in those blocks. Tonight's game would be the fourth of the current block with the Devils winning two of the first three for four points.
When asked how the current block is going, he responded with a grin: "Can I tell you after tonight?"
