Rangers Vs. Devils Preview: Rangers Look To End Season On A High Note Against Devils

The New York Rangers will close out their 2013 regular season with one final battle against the New Jersey Devils. The Devils were eliminated by the Rangers earlier last week, and with the Rangers clinching a playoff spot on Thursday, they are looking to end their season on a high note. It is still unknown as to what John Tortorella will do with his lineup, and whether Henrik Lundqvist will get the afternoon off in preparation for impeding playoff run.

Either way, this game still has meaning as the sixth, seventh, and eighth seeds still have yet to be determined. With the New York Islanders losing last night in Buffalo, the Rangers need just a single point to guarantee themselves at least the seventh seed in the post season. If that indeed sticks, they could be facing off against the Boston Bruins.

VS.

New Jersey Devils (19-18-10) vs New York Rangers (25-18-4)
Madison Square Garden - New York, NY - 3:00 PM
Television: NBC | Radio: ESPN NY 98.7
Opponent's Blog: In Lou We Trust | Tickets: New York Rangers Tickets

Some Quick Thoughts:

• As stated earlier, with the Devils already eliminated from the playoffs, Johan Hedberg will be getting the start for the New Jersey Devils. This will be the first time in quite a while that Martin Brodeur will be the backup at Madison Square Garden while also being healthy.
• Tomorrow's line should be a telling sign as to how severe Ryane Clowe's injury may be. Clowe left Thursday's game during the second period, and never returned. It is still unknown whether it is a head injury, or a leg injury. Hopefully it's nothing serious as that would be a major hole to fill heading into the playoffs.

Projected Lineup:

Taylor Pyatt - Brad Richards - Mats Zuccarello
Carl Hagelin - Derek Stepan - Ryan Callahan
Kris Newbury - Derick Brassard - Rick Nash
Arron Asham - Darroll Powe - Chris Kreider

Ryan McDonagh - Dan Girardi
Anton Stralman - Michael Del Zotto
Steve Eminger - John Moore

Henrik Lundqvist
Martin Biron

Scratches: Marc Staal (upper-body), Derek Dorsett (upper-body), Brian Boyle (lower-body), Ryane Clowe (upper-body/lower-body?), Matt Gilroy (healthy), Roman Hamrlik (healthy),