G28 New Jersey Devils vs New York Rangers: Jack Hughes watch is on

No. 86 enters this contest scorching hot and lives for the big stage.

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I am back from my vacation in Banff and ready to return to daily Devils writing. Some notes to get you set for tonight’s big game against the Rangers:

Expect a response

Good teams have a habit of rebounding following defeat; they don’t let one or two tough nights turn into a lengthly losing skid.

That’s one of the reasons the Devils sit atop the Metro Division standings. Unlike in recent years, the Devils have been very effective at getting back on track at the first sign of a wrong turn.

They haven’t just won games after a disappointing result; they’ve dominated. Save for one rather underwhelming showing against Philadelphia, in which the Devils won anyway, they have generated at least 39 shots – and posted a double digit shot differential – after every loss this season.

Win or lose, I expect another strong response against the Rangers in this game. The Devils are largely healthy, well rested, and they just had an entire weekend to chew on a disappointing effort against the New York Islanders.

This team is very good and they know they are very good. The standards are sky high now and you can bet they’ll be ready to put their best foot forward in this game; especially in a marquee matchup against their biggest rivals.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they put together another shot differential in the double digits – particularly if they can keep things 5v5.

The Rangers have really struggled of late, ranking 22nd in expected goal share (47.53%) over the last 10 games.

Although the Devils have slipped up a little bit in that time, they still sit 6th in expected goal share (54.42%).

They look to have a big edge at full-strength. The extra burr in their saddle should only make that more evident.