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New Jersey Devils: 5 Games We’re Most Excited For This Season

By Kevin Whalen

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - APRIL 01: Blake Coleman #20 of the New Jersey Devils and Lias Andersson #50 of the New York Rangers fight in the second period at Prudential Center on April 01, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - APRIL 01: Blake Coleman #20 of the New Jersey Devils and Lias Andersson #50 of the New York Rangers fight in the second period at Prudential Center on April 01, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Thursday, October 17th vs Rangers

We won’t have to wait long into the season to get our first taste of the Hudson River Rivalry re-ignited. This will be the first regular-season meeting between the top overall picks in the 2019 NHL Draft in Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko.

This will also be the first time that fellow Russians Artemi Panarin and Nikita Gusev will go head to head in an NHL game. We already know what Panarin can bring, but it’ll be a great comparison to see how Gusev stacks up against an elite player.

You can see it now, the Devils and Rangers slugging it out like the old days, the crowd booing Kaako every time he touches the puck and cheering Hughes with every chance. This will be the first meeting of the year where our fanbases can say who had a better off-season. Both clubs have made substantial changes and it will be great to see these two, long-time rivals, going head to head again with great players on both sides.

A major part of this game that may not get much talk prior to it will be the goaltending matchup. The Devils know who they will be facing in Henrik Lundqvist, but the Devils could have either MacKenzie Blackwood or Cory Schneider in net. Whoever it may be on this night, they will have to be at their best. When playing in a rivalry game there is no shortage of intensity and when dealing in a game like this it all ends up falling squarely on the goalie and the Devils goaltending will have to be sound in order to pull out the victory.

Prediction: New Jersey 3 Rangers 2 (F/SO)

Wednesday, October 30th vs. Tampa Bay

The third game in a month but hear us out. Tampa Bay is still the benchmark in the league when it comes to overall talent. This isn’t to say what happened to them in the playoffs was a fluke, but they are going to be a highly motivated team this year and it’ll be a great measuring stick for the Devils to see how they can keep up with a team of Tampa’s caliber.

A team with the LIghtning’s firepower will test our defense and goaltending for the entirety of the game. If we can keep pace with them it will say a lot about what our team is made of, especially since it’s so early on in the season. It will be a huge mental test for the Devils. The Devils will still be trying to find their identity at this point in the year so it’s imperative that they play smart and stay out of the penalty box. The Lightning will look to be a formidable force on the power play once again just as they were a year ago and for a young team like New Jersey, they simply can not give the Lightning opportunity to put them away.

Prediction: New Jersey 2 Tampa Bay 4 (empty netter for the fourth goal)

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