Devils to be an important test for the Rangers

October 22, 7:41 AMNew York Rangers ExaminerRob Cristino

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  Marty and the Devils will be a challenge (AP Photo).

Through nine games, the New York Rangers currently sit in second place in the Atlantic Division with 14 points; two points behind the Division leading and defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

Despite their 7-2-0 record, the Rangers’ recent loss to a top team in the Western Conference shouldn’t be overlooked.

The Rangers were on a roll, winning seven-straight games before collapsing at the hands of the San Jose Sharks in an ugly 7-3 loss. Yes, backup goaltender Steve Valiquette did make the start in order to give Henrik Lundqvist a rest, but the Rangers’ problems went far beyond that of their goaltender (though, Valiquette allowed five goals on just 18 shots). The Rangers made plenty of mistakes, including making poor decisions with the puck and taking way too many penalties during Monday night’s massacre. After getting off to a 2-0 lead in the first period, the Rangers allowed six unanswered goals for just their second loss of the season.

The always tough New Jersey Devils (eight points) are next on the schedule for New York and will be in town on Thursday night.

This game will be important to see how the Rangers can respond after their loss to the Sharks on home ice. Will the Rangers continue to play poorly as a result of the 7-3 loss or will they bounce back in a convincing fashion? With Lundqvist in net, the latter seems to be the more convincing case.

The Devils have gotten off to a slow start in the 2009-10 season with a 4-3-0 record and have not scored a power play goal in their last three games (they are 0-for-15 in that span), but that won’t mean anything when they cross the Hudson to face the Rangers.

Remember, the Sharks also had gotten off to an uncharacteristically slow start (4-3-1) before playing the Rangers and look how that turned out.

The Rangers have beaten the Devils in their first meeting of the new season with a 3-2 victory, which occurred on Oct. 5, but expect a much different opponent the second time around. After dropping the first two games of the season, the Devils put together a three-game winning streak before suffering their third loss of the season. Devils’ goalie and sure-to-be future Hall-of-Famer Martin Brodeur was strong in New Jersey's recent 2-0 shutout this past Saturday, recording his 102nd NHL career shutout.

“Marty was just great," Devils coach Jacques Lemaire said. "That's how we know him, the type of game he can play.

As consistent as Brodeur has been throughout his successful career, lately he has had trouble beating New York at MSG. Since 2005-06, Brodeur is just 3-8-2 in 13 games at the Garden, despite posting a 2.30 GAA.

Lundqvist, on the other hand, is 10-1-1 with a 1.32 GAA and three shutouts in 12 starts against the Devils at MSG.

The Rangers have scored at least one power play goal in each of their last seven games and are slowly creating a threat during the man advantage. While the power play is making a name for itself, the penalty killing has been solid at 85.7 percent.