In the wisdom of Gary Bettman and seeing your division rival eight times a year….tonight is the final battle between the Devils and Rangers and I am sorry to say this but…WTF????? It is February 22nd, and we have already played the Rangers all we are going to play them this season? I feel cheated honestly. As much as I love playing the division rivals more….for some reason I get this feeling like the Devils should be playing them in March and April.
This is the time of year where every matchup is huge. There are only 22 games to go in the season…..feels like it never ends does it? Yes, the Rangers are 17 points back in the standings but every one of these games is like a playoff game with playoff intensity. Now that Sean Avery is a Ranger, it has taken on an additional meeting….more like make sure he doesn’t kill Brodeur. Every team knows that the Devils’ chances ride on Marty….it is painfully obvious. Though what Avery did the other night was kinda tomfoolery….I understood it….it is part of the game. What Avery failed to understand is that now the Devils and Brodeur will be that much more focussed on the matters at hand.
So what does tonight’s game really mean in the grand scheme of things….the Devils are the 2 seed in the East right now…but are right in between Buffalo for the 1 seed and Pittsburgh for the 4 seed. Though the urgency isn’t quite there like last season…it does still exist to a lesser extent. While Elias is questionable with the flu tonight and Gionta’s groin may keep him out, the Devils will put together a better offensive effort tonight nonetheless. Shanny is out for the Rangers (they will want to come out smoking)….officially placed on the IR yesterday. This will be a very good game…expect some fireworks. I am sure Bettman will be watching.
