Playoffs start with Hudson River rivalry

The New Jersey Devils and Nico wrapped up their Regular Season with a pair of wins over Buffalo (6-2) and Washington (5-4 OT.) last week. With the third-best points total in the entire league (112 points from 82 games), the Devils concluded the best regular season in franchise history, which saw Nico contribute a total of 31 goals and 49 assists (+33). Next up, the Devils will take on the New York Rangers in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Rangers finished their regular season with 107 points, good enough for third place in the Metropolitan Division. As the lower seed, they will start out the playoffs with two road games at the Rock (Tue., 7 PM ET), before the series will head to Madison Square Garden for game three on Sunday night (8 PM ET). During the Regular Season, the Devils got the better of their cross-river rivals, winning three out of the four head-to-head matchups. The Devils will return to the playoffs for the first time in five seasons, while the Rangers reached the Eastern Conference finals last year.