NEWARK — Rangers coach Alain Vigneault, who said last week he believed the team would have made the playoffs had it not decided to strip the roster down at the trade deadline and rebuild, said on Saturday he took no joy in eliminating the Carolina Hurricanes by beating them that night. And before Tuesday’s game Vigneault said he would take no particular joy in stalling the Devils’ clinching of a playoff spot with a win.
“For me, New York is New York,’’ he said. “I’d like the New York City surroundings to have NHL playoffs this year. I’ve worked with [Devils GM] Ray Shero before; I’ve coached [Devils assistant coach] Alain Nasreddine; I’ve coached [Devils assistan] Ryane Clowe.