Faceoff Factor

Devils vs. Rangers Game 2 Preview

Michael Farkas | National Hockey League

Apr 11, 08:14 AM | Hype this story!

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Devils (4) vs. Rangers (5) Game 2
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Series Score: Devils 0 – Rangers 1
Game Time: 7:00 EST
Location: Prudential Center (Newark)
Television: TSN, MSG, MSG+

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Preview
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Game one of this hotly contested series saw a rare error from Martin Brodeur that led to a Ryan Callahan shorthanded goal. The Rangers first goal of this nature since Esa Tikkanen scored one against Philadelphia in late May of 1997. Late in the third period, a Scott Gomez centering pass hit the skate of Sergei Brylin and lay in a vacant crease before being put home by ornery forward Sean Avery. The Rangers were victorious 4-1.

Game two expects to see the same lineups as game one. An ailing Brian Gionta did not practice but expects to play tonight. The Devils did not look too terribly sharp on Wednesday and they expect to come out with a little more focus for tonight’s tilt. “I think it’s important, first and foremost, for your veteran leadership group to make sure as individuals their game is the best it can be,” said head coach Brent Sutter.

The Devils will count on captain Jamie Langenbrunner, who has a knack for the dramatics of a big playoff series, to step up tonight for his team.

The Rangers have a ton of confidence going into this game two matchup. And why wouldn’t they? A season series that went without a regulation loss and then a fairly dominant showing at The Rock on Wednesday has this team feeling good. Scott Gomez stuck it to his former club with three helpers on four New York goals.

The Rangers seem much more light-hearted than New Jersey at this point as well. “In practice [Dubinsky] and [Straka] are on two-on-ones. They couldn’t make a pass. Two-on-one. Twice, they dumped it in the corner. And you’re asking me why I can’t score,” Jagr joked to reporters.

The young center Dubinsky was walking by at the time and quipped, “You’re lucky the trade deadline is past…”

The Rangers seem rather jovial as they attempt to take a 2-0 lead on New Jersey going back to Madison Square Garden. However, that will be no easy task against a resilient Devils team.

Martin Brodeur. Henrik Lundqvist. Game two tonight.

For a complete list of team leaders and statistics, click here.
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Injuries
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New Jersey: No major injuries
New York: No major injuries