Who is the player to watch against the New Jersey Devils?

It’s been a while – the New Jersey Devils haven’t beaten the New York Rangers in a game that counts since Game 7, 581 days ago.

Obviously, that’s why the Devils are hungry to beat the New York Rangers. And it promises to be a good game, as the Battle of the Hudson is already one of the NHL’s most storied rivalries.

This is the first time this season that the Hudson River Rivalry will be played at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers (13-9-1) ended their five-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens, also an Original Six team. With this win in mind, the Blueshirts are currently in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with 27 points.

New Jersey is currently second in the same division with 34 points and a record of 16-9-2.

Records aside, Jack Hughes is widely regarded as the opposing team’s most popular player and is simply the player to keep an eye on ahead of the game on December 2nd. Let’s break down how he could impact the Rangers on the ice and what to look for in today’s game.

Jack Hughes

Assistant captain and center Jack Hughes has quickly become the league’s favorite due to his ability at such a young age and his charisma.

The 23-year-old hails from Florida and is the middle of two other brothers – Quinn and Luke – who are also in the league. Of particular note is the youngest of the three, Luke, who is currently Jack’s teammate on the Devils’ roster.

Hughes has played in all 27 games for New Jersey so far this season. With 30 points, he is the Devils’ second-best offensive producer. This comes from a team-leading nine goals and another 21 assists.

The Devils selected Hughes with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft after he led the USA Hockey National Team Development Program U18 team with 112 points in 50 games in 2018-19. He came of age in the 2021-22 season with 56 points (26 goals, 30 assists) in 49 games and scored his first NHL hat trick in a 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals in November 2022.

He also recently made history for the Devils in March 2023, becoming the first New Jersey player to score 40 goals in a season since Zach Parise scored 45 goals in 2008-09.

Attributing Hughes to this particular matchup, if 6-foot-10 Jimmy Vesey is missing tonight, Matt Rempe should be in the lineup against a Devils team that has actually traded in the past due to previous issues with the enforcer.

Although rookie Brett Berard will be unavailable due to injury, both Rempe and Hughes are two of the biggest young names in hockey right now.

If both were on the ice at the same time on Monday evening, it would be a historic sight.

Here’s how to tune in

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST at Madison Square Garden for the Hudson River Rivarly match on December 2nd. The game can also be streamed via Sling TV. Be sure to check out Blue Line Station Twitter for live updates.