Peter Laviolette wasn’t thrilled with either of the Rangers’ results against the Devils last month.
There were some positives, he said, from the first one — a 5-1 setback on Dec. 2. But three weeks later, another listless loss quickly spiraled into an embarrassment.
The afternoon started with the Blueshirts making Chris Kreider, their longest-tenured player, a healthy scratch.
Will Borgen delivers a hard check to Paul Cotter during the Rangers’ 5-0 loss to the Devils on Dec. 23, 2024.
Then, the Devils trolled them on their jumbotron with a clip of Rangers fans cheering in 2019 when New Jersey selected Jack Hughes No. 1 overall, allowing Kaapo Kakko, who had recently been dumped to the Kraken, to go with the next pick.
And after the 5-0 loss, the Rangers were the subject of a jab on social media, when the Devils’ team account posted a clip on X that depicted a blue dumpster — with the Rangers’ logo tacked onto it — floating down water while on fire.
At that point, their season was spiraling out of control. The dumpster fire wasn’t a far-fetched description. Not much has changed since, either, with a stretch of two wins in three games offset by the Blueshirts’ 5-4 overtime loss Tuesday after blowing a 3-0 lead.
But given how their last game against the Devils went, the Rangers’ latest matchup with their Metropolitan Division rival Thursday at the Garden marks a chance for a response and a statement.
“We didn’t like the way we played last time,” defenseman Ryan Lindgren said, “so yeah, we gotta be a lot better than that.”
The showdown would be a measuring stick regardless of the Rangers’ current state.
Sam Carrick (right) fights with Brenden Dillon during the Rangers’ blowout loss to the Devils on Dec. 23, 2024.
The Devils hold the second spot in the Metro — three points behind the division-leading Capitals entering Wednesday night’s games — and possess the league’s second-best power play.
Hughes and Jesper Bratt sit in a tie for 11th in the NHL with 48 points entering Wednesday night.
Goaltender Jacob Markstrom has possessed the league’s third-lowest goals against average through his first 30 appearances this year, too.
In 2022-23, their rivalry seeped into the postseason, when the Devils eliminated the Rangers in the first round.
Last year, the Blueshirts swept all four meetings as New Jersey fell far short of its lofty expectations and missed the playoffs.
The pair of teams will meet one more time in April, with the Rangers needing a win in one of the remaining two matchups to avoid getting swept in the season series.
But a victory at the Garden on Thursday would help the Rangers move past the debacle from before the holiday break — and the jumbotron-chirping, social-media-trolling disaster that accompanied it.
“Definitely a chance to try and right a couple wrongs,” Peter Laviolette said, referencing their two losses last month.
Center Filip Chytil, who exited Tuesday’s loss with an upper-body injury, didn’t practice and was still being evaluated, according to Laviolette.
Chris Kreider, on injured reserve retroactive to Sunday with an upper-body injury, skated on his own.
And star goaltender Igor Shesterkin — also on IR but eligible to play Thursday — participated fully in practice.
“I think any time you see a player out there and they’re involved in practice, they take steps closer, as to somebody skating on their own or wearing a different colored jersey or not getting the reps that they should,” Laviolette said when asked if Shesterkin was close to returning.
Arthur Kaliyev, claimed off waivers Monday, skated on the Rangers third line alongside Jonny Brodzinski and Brett Berard, while also getting time with the second power-play unit.
