Devils vs. Rangers | Pre-Scout | Game #23

Saturday night's gutsy win against a veteran Washington Capitals team was impressive and should push most skeptical fans finally over the fence and onto the Devils' bandwagon. The fact is past Devils' teams would lose that game. Furthermore, during the post-game show, I would point to the back-to-back schedule, which had the Devils' first game on the road in BUF at 8 pm (while WSH was waiting for the Devils in NJ the night before) as the leading cause for that loss. Well, as we all know, that was not the case at all. This stretch of Devils' hockey has been surreal!

The Devils are finally getting goaltending. The fact that the Devils had a goalie, acquired from WSH this offseason, steal a game for them in a lopsided match against a team the Devils had only beaten once in the last 12 meetings is a substantial sign this team is different. Now, will it last is the million dollar question, and is Bastian's injury a sign that tough times are arriving for the Devils?

I'll allow those still on the fence to wait to see how the game goes tonight against our archrivals at the Garden. Like the recent history vs. the Capitals, the Rangers have had the Devils' number too. The Devils have only beaten the Rangers once in the last ten contests! A win tonight vs. the Rangers will be a statement game!

In the pre-game show, Matt Loughlin and I will discuss: the Devils' strong goaltending, their dominant oz possession game, what the impact of a long-term Basitan injury-hiatus would mean, and whether regression to normal is happening to the Rangers, or is it just a slow start for them. It all starts live at 6:30 pm on MSGSN.