NHL

Rangers know outdoor clash is key for more than just standings

The implications in the standings of this Battle of the Hudson between the Rangers and Devils, which will be played on the outdoor pond in The Bronx Sunday afternoon, are obvious.

But so is the magnitude of playing at Yankee Stadium.

“The magnitude of the game is huge as far as the standings and the playoff race go, and we’re all aware of that,” Marc Staal said following the Blueshirts’ practice in the snow late Saturday afternoon. “But to have this opportunity to play here is definitely special.

“I’ve been to a number of games here to watch the Yankees play, and for us to be out there playing is very cool.”

The Rangers lead the Devils by two points in a mad scramble for conference playoff berths in which 11 teams fighting for five spots were separated by no more than nine points before Saturday night’s games.

The Blueshirts, who have 10 players who participated in the 2012 Winter Classic in Philadelphia, will also be at the Stadium on Wednesday for a showdown against the Islanders.

“Having these two games is real good for our group,” coach Alain Vigneault said.

“This doesn’t have the same type of build-up as the Winter Classic, there isn’t the same type of hype,” said Staal, who made his 2011-12 debut in that one after having missed the first 36 games of the season with post-concussion symptoms. “But at the same time, an event like this is definitely a celebration of hockey and we’re fortunate to be a part of it.

“Everyone in the organization understands what it means to be part of an Original Six team that’s considered to be one of the league’s marquee teams,” No. 18 said. “We’re very lucky to be here. We all know it.

“The significance is not lost on us.”

Henrik Lundqvist will indeed wear his pinstriped pads in the start against Martin Brodeur. The Rangers are 0-2-1 against the Devils this season.

“This is a game you remember for the rest of your life,” said The King, who sealed last year’s 3-2 Winter Classic victory for the Rangers with a penalty shot save against Daniel Briere with 19.6 seconds remaining in the third period. “You definitely want to create great memories, and the best way to do that is to get two points.”

The Rangers are a grounded group. While focused on the task at hand, they are as a group well aware of the big picture. That includes Ryan McDonagh, an outfielder/DH in an earlier life whose Cretin-Derham Hall team won the Minnesota High School state championship in his 2007 senior season.

“I never got to the point where baseball was a serious career option for me,” McDonagh said. “But to be here playing on the Yankees’ field is pretty special.

“Their players kind of shaped sports history in America.”

The Devils’ Jaromir Jagr, who sustained a calf injury early in the 2012 Winter Classic while playing for the Flyers that limited him to 7:09 of ice time and kept him off for the final 34:48, expressed concern over a potential injury on Sunday.

“It’s totally different,” he said. “Even when you’re more careful, you never know. I think the chances that something might happen to me are bigger than a regular game.

“That’s the way I feel. If I’m right or wrong, I don’t know. Maybe it’s in my head because it happened two years ago.”

Jagr also played in the 2009 KHL All-Star Game that was held in Red Square in Moscow.

“That was really the first time I had to play any game outside since I was a little kid,” he said. “But the ice wasn’t very good. The rink wasn’t very big. They just did it for the show of the All-Star Game.

“And it was so cold. We played in January, I think [Jan. 10] in Moscow,” he said. “This is like summer compared to [outdoor] hockey in Moscow.”