One of the NHL’s fiercest rivalries will return to the postseason stage Tuesday night as the New Jersey Devils host the New York Rangers in Game 1 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series in Newark, N.J.
The Rangers reached the Eastern Conference finals last season, falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games after New York had won the first two in the series.
While the Rangers have long expected to be a force in this year’s postseason, the Devils are in the playoffs for the first time since 2018, and for just the second time in 11 seasons.