On Monday night, the Devils defeated the Bruins by a score of 4-3 in overtime. The Bruins got on the score sheet first, less than 5 minutes into the game on a goal from David Pastrnak, and would go up 2-0 a little over 10 minutes later on a goal from our old pal Pavel Zacha. At this point, you would have been fair to assume “here we go again” with another loss. However the Devils would fight back in the second period, tying the game up with a goal from Connor Brown 32 seconds into the period and another goal from Jesper “I’m allowed to shoot?” Bratt less than 8 minutes later. Paul “remember me?” Cotter and Pastrnak exchanged goals less than 2 minutes apart in the 3rd to send the game to overtime. Cotter would then find himself in a position he has not been in very often this season, playing the hero by scoring the game winning goal in OT. Jacob Markstrom started in net for the Devils, his 8th start in his last 9 games.
The Rangers also played on Monday night, losing 4-1 to the Los Angeles Kings. It was the first loss for the Rangers in their last 5 games. They’ve put up a ton of goals in recent games, with the team scoring with 34 goals in their last 8 games (4.25 goals per game). Their season may already be over too, but they can have’t given up on scoring goals. Igor Shesterkin started in net for the Rangers, his 3rd consecutive start in a row. Drew “I’m too old for this” Doughty gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 13:29 of the first period. Mikey Anderson and Alex Laferriere scored goals for the Kings less than 30 seconds apart in the second period to send the Kings to the 3rd period up 3-0. The Rangers and Kings exchanged goals in the 3rd period, with Trevor Moore sealing the victory with an empty net goal.
Injuries, Roster for Tonight, Yada, Yada, Yada.
As always, barring any injuries, the lineup we have been seeing recently and on Monday against the Bruins is pretty much the team we’re going to see for the rest of the season. The only real question mark at this point is, who will start in net on any given night. Sheldon Keefe seems to have a weird obsession with Jacob Markstrom lately. Either he still incorrectly believes the Devils have a shot at the playoffs and he’s trying to make a push or Allen is either hurt or Keefe doesn’t trust him. I have no idea either way, but I still just find the whole thing…odd.
Grimace’s Prediction and 2025-2026 Record Tracker
Grimace has been taking some classes in the recreation room lately. He gets visitors a few times a week, and he’s even taken up finger painting. They’ve offered no specific date for release, but with hard work, doctors think he could be out in time for next season.
Grimace’s 2025-2026 Season Prediction record currently stands at 13-14-0.
While the season is lost, there is never a bad time to beat the Rangers. Granted half of Madison Square Garden will be filled with rich, fake fans who still think that Mark Messier is on the team, but still. The Rangers are so bad this season, (even worse than the Devils!) that there might even be some real fans at the Garden tonight! Nothing says “affordable” tickets to the World’s Most Overrated arena like being in 16th place in the Eastern Conference! Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below and thanks for reading!
In a shameless bit of non hockey related self promotion (approved by Chris – thanks Chris), I wanted to plug my brand new podcast on here, if any of you are interested in listening. We have a light hearted, fun discussion about any movies, music or video games mostly from the 1980s and 1990s. Please feel free to listen to us on any of the formats below and any feedback is welcome (positive and negative). Also, please follow us and subscribe, even if you think we stink. 🙂