History of Devils–Rangers rivalry in Timeline

The Devils–Rangers rivalry is a prominent ice hockey rivalry in the NHL, dubbed the "cross-river rivalry" due to the close proximity of the New Jersey Devils' Prudential Center in Newark and the New York Rangers' Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, separated by the Hudson River. Easy travel between the arenas via road and rail intensifies the rivalry.

1982: Colorado Rockies Move to New Jersey

In 1982, the Colorado Rockies relocated to New Jersey and became the Devils. As part of the relocation agreement, they were obligated to provide substantial compensation to the Rangers, New York Islanders, and Philadelphia Flyers for the right to share the New Jersey market.

1982: Devils First Win

In 1982, the New York Rangers gave the New Jersey Devils their first ever win.

1987: Devils Miss Playoffs

In the 2013–14 season, the Devils missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, which had not happened since 1987.

1990: Devils Finish Season Under .500

In the 2010–11 season, the Devils finished the season under .500 for the first time since the 1990–91 season.

1992: Rangers Survive Seven-Game Playoff Series

In 1992, during the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Presidents' Trophy-winning Rangers faced the Devils in the Patrick Division semifinals. The Rangers managed to win the series after a hard-fought seven-game series.

1993: Rangers and Devils Top Point-Getters

During the Rangers' championship season of 1993–94, both teams were the top point-getters in the NHL, with the Rangers winning the Presidents' Trophy with 112 points and the Devils notching 106. The Rangers had a 6–0 record against New Jersey that regular season.

1994: Crushing defeat to the Rangers

In 1994 the Devils were crushed by a defeat from the Rangers.

1994: Rangers Win Series in Double Overtime

In 1994, Mark Messier guaranteed a victory in game six, scoring a hat-trick to tie the series. The Devils' Valeri Zelepukin tied game seven with seconds left, but Stephane Matteau scored in double overtime, leading the Rangers to win the series and the Stanley Cup.

1994: Stanley Cup Awarded to Rangers at MSG

In 1994, the Stanley Cup was awarded to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Both teams won the Stanley Cup in their respective seasons and the Stanley Cup was awarded on their side of the Hudson River.

1994: Rangers Make Cup Final

In the 2013–14 season, the Rangers finally made it to the Cup Final, which they had not done since 1994.

1994: Significance of Meetings

The meetings between the Devils and Rangers during the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons are considered to be the rivalry's most famous moments.

1994: Rematch of Eastern Conference Finals

With the Devils and Rangers defeating their rivals, they set the stage for a rematch of the 1994 Eastern Conference finals in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals.

1995: Devils Win Stanley Cup at the Meadowlands

In 1995, the Devils won the Stanley Cup at the Meadowlands. They were the first team to win the Stanley Cup without home ice advantage in any of the four rounds of the playoffs.

1995: Devils Win Stanley Cup

In 1995, the Devils won the Stanley Cup, sweeping the Detroit Red Wings. They had to go through the Philadelphia Flyers, who had eliminated the Rangers in the second round, in the conference finals. The rivalry intensified during the 1995–96 season between the previous two Stanley Cup champions.

February 17, 1997: Devils Unbeaten Streak Begins

On February 17, 1997, the Devils began an unbeaten streak against the Rangers in the regular season, which lasted for four years.

1997: Rangers Eliminate Devils in Playoffs

In 1997, the Rangers, led by Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Brian Leetch, and Mike Richter, eliminated the Devils in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Rangers won four games in a row after losing game one. Adam Graves scored an overtime goal in game five to secure the series win for the Rangers.

1998: Rivalry Momentum Shifts to Devils

From the start of 1998, the rivalry momentum began to shift in favor of the Devils.

March 31, 2001: Devils Unbeaten Streak Ends

On March 31, 2001, the Devils' unbeaten streak against the Rangers ended after 23 regular season games, going 15–0–8.

2003: Whoopi Sitcom Episode

In 2003, the Devils–Rangers rivalry was featured in an episode of the short-lived sitcom "Whoopi", starring Whoopi Goldberg. The episode, titled "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", included Devils stars Scott Gomez, Jay Pandolfo, and Scott Stevens, as well as Rangers players Anson Carter and Darius Kasparitis.

2003: Devils Secure Trip to Stanley Cup Final

In 2012, the Devils defeated the Rangers in Game 6 to secure their first trip to the Stanley Cup Final since their championship season of 2003.

2004: Post NHL Lockout Games

Since the 2004-05 NHL lockout, the two teams have met a total of 43 times as of March 25, 2010, including playoff games.

2005: Devils Win 11 Straight Games

At the end of the 2005–06 season, the Devils won 11 games straight.

2006: Devils Sweep Rangers in Playoffs

In 2006, the Devils swept the Rangers in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, marking the first time in franchise history.

2007: Scott Gomez Signs with Rangers

Prior to the 2007-08 season, Scott Gomez signed as a free agent with the Rangers.

2008: Rangers Win Playoff Series Against Devils

In 2008, the Rangers defeated the Devils in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Scott Gomez, who signed with the Rangers, was booed by Devils fans. Sean Avery screened Martin Brodeur in an unusual way, leading to NHL to issue an interpretation of the unsportsmanlike conduct rule. Brodeur did not shake Avery's hand after the series.

2009: Captains win silver medals in Vancouver Olympics

During the 2009–10 season, there was a moment of peace in the rivalry with both captains, Rangers' Chris Drury and Devils' Jamie Langenbrunner, winning silver medals as members the Team USA during the Vancouver Olympics.

March 25, 2010: Rivalry Parity

As of March 25, 2010, fans and analysts agreed that the Devils-Rangers rivalry had become stronger due to increased parity between the teams, with many media outlets calling them "mirror teams".

2010: Rangers Win Four of Six Meetings

In the 2010–11 season, the Rangers won four of six meetings between the two teams.

2011: Rangers Make Playoffs

In 2011, The Rangers won their last meeting of the season, helping them make the playoffs.

2011: Devils–Rangers Series Debuts Late

The Devils–Rangers series debuted at its latest date since the Devils moved to New Jersey in 1982 during the 2011–12 season.

March 19, 2012: Rangers Win Game with Fights

On March 19, 2012, the Devils and Rangers played their final contest of the season at Madison Square Garden. The game began with three simultaneous fights, and the Rangers won the game, 4–2.

2012: NHL Lockout

The 2012–13 season began with a labor lockout due to the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)'s expiration.

2013: Rangers End Devils' Playoff Hopes

In 2013, The Rangers' 4–1 victory on April 21 ended the Devils' hopes to reach the 2013 playoffs, despite making the Cup Final the previous year.

2013: Outdoor Game at Yankees Stadium

In the 2013–14 season, the two teams played in an outdoor game at Yankees Stadium. The Devils lost the game 7–3 after taking a 3–1 lead.

2014: Rangers Win First Two Meetings

In the first half of the 2014–15 season, the Rangers won both meetings between the teams, including a come-from-behind road victory in overtime and a 3–1 win at the Garden.

February 22, 2018: First Trade Between Teams

On February 22, 2018, the Rangers traded Michael Grabner to the Devils in exchange for Yegor Rykov and a second-round pick in the 2018 NHL entry draft, marking their first trade together.

2019: Draft Lottery and Player Selections

In 2019, the Devils received the first overall pick in the NHL entry draft, while the Rangers received the second. The Devils selected Jack Hughes, and the Rangers selected Kaapo Kakko, seen as a new chapter in the rivalry.

2023: Devils–Rangers 2023 Playoff Series

In 2023, the Devils and Rangers met in the playoffs for the seventh time. The Rangers had a 2-0 series lead, but the Devils won the series in seven games, with Akira Schmid recording shutouts in games five and seven.

March 11, 2024: Rempe Ejection and Suspension

On March 11, 2024, during a game the Rangers won 3-1, Rangers rookie Matt Rempe was ejected after elbowing Devils' defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, causing a concussion. Rempe had been challenged to a fight by Devils enforcer Kurtis MacDermid multiple times, but he refused. Rempe was then suspended for four games.

December 2, 2024: Devils Defeat Rangers, Hughes Criticized

On December 2, 2024, the Devils defeated the Rangers 5-1 at Madison Square Garden. During the first intermission, MSG Network analyst Steve Valiquette criticized Devils center Jack Hughes for showboating after Hughes attempted "The Forsberg" move. Hughes later scored two goals and had an assist.