newjerseydevils.com – The Devils have revved up their play at home, and look to continue that success when they head out on the road to visit the Rangers tonight at Madison Square Garden.

The Hudson River rivals have identical 5-6-1 records, and each team enters Saturday's matchup (7:00 p.m., FSN NY2, WFAN 660 AM) on the heels of consecutive wins.

New Jersey won back-to-back contests at Prudential Center after losing the home opener a week ago, outscoring opponents 9-3 over the two wins.

The Devils finished their first-ever Newark homestand with a 2-1 mark after opening the season 3-5-1 during their season-high nine-game road trip.

Last night, John Madden's shorthanded goal broke a 1-1 tie at 15:48 of the third period and helped propel the Devils past Toronto, 3-2.

"What can I say about that guy," Zach Parise said of Madden, who had a goal and three assists in Wednesday's 6-1 victory over Tampa Bay. "This year he has been on fire."

Parise also scored in his second straight game, finishing with the game winner. He leads the Devils with four goals and eight assists for 12 points.

Martin Brodeur made 26 saves for his second victory in a row, and 498th of his career. Brodeur is 1-1 this season when starting for the second consecutive night.

He made 29 saves in last week's loss to the Rangers, which snapped his four-game winning streak versus New York.

The Rangers beat Washington, 2-0, on Thursday – Henrik Lundqvist's third shutout in his last six games.

Lundqvist has three shutouts this season, with one coming against the New Jersey Devils.

Scott Gomez, who spent his first seven seasons with New Jersey, added an assist Thursday for his first point in six games. He was held scoreless in the first meeting of the season between the Devils and Rangers on Oct. 25.

NJD NOTES
Tonight's divisional matchup is New Jersey's fifth of the season. The Devils are 1-2-1 against the Atlantic in 2007-08... Defenseman Karel Rachunek continues to be sidelined with a sore groin.