A few unfortunate seasons have taken the sails out of the New Jersey Devils biggest rivalry. A renewed rivalry with the New York Rangers would do great things for both teams.
Back in the 90s, there was no rivalry like the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers. The only Stanley Cup win for the Rangers came after the team beat New Jersey’s team following the second biggest guarantee in the history of sports. The Devils came back and won three Cups in the next nine seasons.
The moment Adam Henrique pushed in the game-winning goal in double overtime to be Henrik Lundqvist in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals will always go down as one of the best moments in franchise history. Those moments have been few and far between for both teams in this rivalry.
The Rangers beat the Devils in all but one meeting last year. Three of those meetings did go to overtime, but the Devils chances always felt in doubt.
The Rangers feel like their biggest rivalries at this point are against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. Most of that can be attributed to their successes and the new playoff format.
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When the Devils and the Rangers play, there is still a rivalry among fans, but the hate isn’t there for the players like it once was. That may have a lot to do with a transition Devils team that doesn’t have the same players involved. The Patrik Eliases and Martin Brodeurs who fueled themselves by beating the cross-Hudson rivals aren’t here anymore.
There are, however, a few players who seem like they will be Devils for a long time coming. If Cory Schneider stays in New Jersey for the turnaround to end, he could take solace in going from zero to hero in the new Metropolitan Division. Taylor Hall is finally settling into New Jersey, and he can be the Devils star against whoever the Rangers star is. Nico Hischier will be guaranteed to spend the better part of this decade in New Jersey, a time he can learn to hate those in blue.
The Rangers need the Devils rivalry, too. Where the team is right now, they are secondary rivals with all the best teams in the division. The Penguins have much more vitriol for the Philadelphia Flyers, while the Capitals are bringing their best shot against Pittsburgh at every turn. The main team in the world’s biggest city should be more than a secondary thought. The days of full team fights at puck drop may never come now that Peter DeBoer and John Tortorella are in different cities, but the hate is as soon as a competitive Devils team. With the mass improvements coming to the Devils, that could be coming sooner rather than later.