Tonight we'll find out how really good the New York Rangers are against the best down South in Raleigh. Unlike the fast fading Devils, the Canes mean business and that includes a homestretch drive to capture first place away from the Blueshirts.
Now that Magnificent Mika Zibznejad has awakened from his slumber and Matt Rempe has disposed of another Devil, tonight we'll find out how really good the New York Rangers are against the best down South in Raleigh.
Unlike the fast fading Devils, the Canes mean business and that includes a homestretch drive to capture first place away from the Blueshirts who've owned a mortgage on the Met Division rooftop.
New York's 3-1 win over New Jersey last night at The Garden momentarily kept The Canes at bay but tonight will be another more challenging story.
All things being equal, the Blueshirts' cause would have been helped if Rapidly Rising Rempe had been six inches shorter with an elbow that was more like saccharine than dynamite.
The fact that Matt The Mauler may not have meant to do damage to the smaller Jonas Siegenthaler is as irrelevant as the New Jersey defense.
What matters is this: Rempe is the biggest player in the league. When he confronts a foe like Sieganthaler his elbows are normally higher than most. What is not meant to be lethal, deliberate elbow smash turns out to be one, as was the case last night.
Rempe, who otherwise was being Mister Nice Guy, torpedoed Sieganthaler and wound up with a five-minute major penalty and was given a one-way ticket to the dressing room.
This had little to do with the game but a lot to do with Rempe's twin reputations: 1. As a very good hockey player; and 2. A marked man -- as proven last night.
The positive part of the Skating Giraffe is that he's not only has become an instant hero but a genuinely useful part of the roster.
It was Rempe who made Erik Gustafsson's goal at 19:08 of the second period possible. Man Mountain Matt's 6-8.5 fuselage left new Devils goalie Kaapo Kakonen nothing to see but The Garden's ceiling. Kakonen finally did find the rubber when it was fished out of the net.
Once again, Rempe made his line better by maintaining puck possession, defending when necessary and carrying himself like a seasoned veteran and not a not-even-a-month-old rookie. He's a legitimate power forward, a major piece of the New York juggernaut.
But there is a hitch; an asterisk* if you will because Matt has become a marked man. Just about every NHL tough guy -- Ryan Reaves of Toronto is Exhibit A -- wants a piece of him and the Devils were no exception.
New Jersey signed Kurtis McDermind late in the season since the club lacked a top cop.
Size-wise, he would have been a worthwhile fistic challenger and he made no doubts about wanting to go with Rempe.
Within three seconds of taking the ice, McDermid instiaged what he had hoped would be a fistic classic but Matt -- in so many words -- said "No can do; I gotta stick to hockey tonight."
To his credit, Matt was playing a solid game until his elbow got in the way. McDermid got nothing out of his hoped for foe and the Devils were shut out until it was too late for Simon Nemec's making-it-close score.
That said, there were many in the audience who had come out to see a fight. Some who believe there's an unwritten rule among the league's toughies that -- after the damage done to New Jersey in the previous game -- Rempe should have accepted McDermid's invitation.
"There's a right way to go about things," McDermit said after the game, "and a wrong way. I kind of lost a lot of respect for him."
Which brings me to coach Peter Laviolette who has a double-challenge; beating Carolina and keeping the very useful Rempe out of trouble and into games.
The Maven's Advice to Matt The Mauler: Keep your eager elbows to yourself.