Luke Hughes, fresh off of his first NHL goal in overtime of Thursday’s regular season finale for the Devils, was asked after the game what he knew about the Hudson River Rivalry, now that New Jersey would be taking on the hated Rangers in the first round of the playoffs.
“I heard they don't like each other very much,” Hughes said, via Mike Morreale of NHL.com.
And understatement, for sure. The Devils and Rangers have had plenty of moments to highlight their mutual hatred over the years, from Scott Niedermayer kicking a Rangers jersey across the ice, to Martin Brodeur versus Sean Avery, John Tortorella versus Pete DeBoer, and on down the list.
The two teams haven’t faced off since Tortorella and DeBoer were behind the benches, when New Jersey defeated New York in six games in the 2012 Eastern Conference Final, so most of the players on both rosters haven’t experienced the rivalry from a playoff perspective.
Still, both sides are aware of the history, and both sides feel the heightened anticipation heading into Tuesday night’s series opener in Newark.
“It's a rivalry. They're right across the river,” Mika Zibanejad said. “It's a tough opponent, they've had a really good regular season. It's been tight games against them. It's going to be a lot of fun.
“I think the crowd and the history with the fans and everything, in terms of that, I think that adds to it as well. Obviously, it’s a team we’ve been battling with…and had some tough games against them. It’s gonna be exciting.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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