New Jersey Devils-New York Rangers game set to include some controversies, more competition-NHL News
The National Hockey League (NHL) Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 between the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers is expected to produce some historical moments, as both teams are well known due to their traditional rivalry and competitive natures.
It is going to be a competitive game overall, but roughness will also be an essential part of it as players from both sides are always on the opportunity to settle their scores against each other.
This was very much seen in their previous meeting, which ended with 56 penalty minutes with a number of players brought down on the ice from both sides during the entire game.
With regard to the next game, Devils’ goaltender, Martin Brodeur, has already sounded to be very serious about presenting a strong challenge to his Rangers’ counterpart, Henrik Lundqvist.
His outburst has come even though there will be no direct competition between the two, as they will be standing at far ends in front of nets of their respective teams.
However, his point was apparently directly targeted to Lundqvist, who by all standards is a player of better calibre and rating.
Lundqvist, on the other hand, has come out with a humble statement, weighing his opponents as a competitive outfit, saying Rangers will have to work hard to stage a victory.
He said:
"They're a great team. We face them a lot so we know what to expect. It's going be a good series."
When Rangers’ defenseman, Marc Staal, was asked if he would be a part of a six-man rumble against Devils, he laughed it off, avoiding the direct answer, and said:
"I doubt it. It's a little different in the playoffs, so I don't think that's going to happen."
Devils’ performance in the semi-finals was rather superb as they eliminated their opponents in the matter of five games only, while Rangers had to play all seven games to defeat the Washington Capitals in the phase.
This apparently does not matter to the Rangers, as according to centre, Brad Richards:
"We don't really have a choice, but we're ready to go. We're excited, especially after a big win, we want to get right at it. Rest is always nice, but we can't talk about because it's just imagining something that just doesn't matter. We're playing Monday
and getting right back to it."
So altogether it is going to be a tough competition.
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