Igor Shesterkin #31 and Artemi Panarin #10 of the Rangers celebrate their 4-0 shutout against the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden on April 15, 2021. Credit: Getty Images/Bruce Bennett
The NHL continues to award two points for each victory over the Devils, and for as long as that remains the case, it is incumbent upon the Rangers to collect those points.
As those two teams are in the middle of four games in six days, and the Rangers are in a difficult struggle for a playoff berth, this is no time to assume anything.
The Rangers are doing the best they can to forget that the Devils are awful, having lost eight of nine — with the only victory coming against the similarly hapless Sabres — and keep their eyes on the postseason prize.