Yahoo Sports Devils Morning Skate Notebook: Projected Lineup, Storylines & More
The New Jersey Devils will travel across the Hudson River to play the New York Rangers on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
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The team held an optional morning skate at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House with the following players in attendance: Jake Allen, Brett Pesce, Jonas Siegenthaler, Nathan Bastian, Jesper Bratt, Curtis Lazar, Kurtis MacDermid, and Tomas Tatar.
Tonight marks the third game between the rivals, with the Devils outscoring the Rangers 10-1. In their last meeting, goaltender Jacob Markstrom backstopped New Jersey to a 5-0 shutout, making 12 saves. Forward Jack Hughes earned three points.
The middle Hughes brother enters tonight's game with six points (four goals, two assists) in two games against New York this season. Over his career, he has accumulated more points against the Rangers than any other team in the NHL, with 26 points in 22 games.
According to The Athletic's Peter Baugh, Igor Shesterkin will start in goal, forward Arthur Kaliyev will make his team debut after being acquired off waivers, and Matt Rempe will be in the lineup.
"It is going to be a minimal amount of time that (Rempe) is going to be on the ice, but he is an effective guy," Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said when asked about the Rangers' enforcer. "He changes the energy and motion of the game, and we are going to have to manage that appropriately but not overthink it."
Markstrom will start in net, marking his third consecutive game. He has an 11-4-2 record in 18 games with a goals-against average of 2.20 and a save percentage of .922 against New York in his career.
Keefe did not confirm if there would be lineup changes to his forwards, although Kurtis MacDermid rotated in on the fourth line at Wednesday's practice.
The Devils projected lineup is as follows:
Ondrej Palat - Jack Hughes - Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier - Nico Hishier - Stefan Noesen
Paul Cotter - Justin Dowling - Dawson Mercer
Kurtis MacDermid - Curtis Lazar - Nathan Bastian
Brenden Dillon - Dougie Hamilton
Jonas Siegenthaler - Johnathan Kovacevic
Luke Hughes - Brett Pesce
Jacob Markstrom
The puck drops between the Devils and Rangers at 7:08 P.M. Fans can watch on MSGSN or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.
Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
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