Future Hall-of-Fame goalie Martin Brodeur will watch the New Jersey Devils’ season finale against the New York Rangers from the bench Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
“It would’ve been fun to have that challenge. But at the end of the day it doesn’t really mean anything for us. It’s still playoff position for them,” Brodeur told The Star-Ledger.
“If it meant something, I was going to play, but it doesn’t.
“Getting booed for two hours for no reason, I don’t know if I was really up for it. If it meant something, I didn’t mind.”
The Devils, last year’s Eastern Conference champions and Stanley Cup finalists, will not compete in the 2013 playoffs.
With that in mind, there is the prospect of change to the Devils’ roster in the off-season. The 40-year-old Brodeur will be watching what happens in New Jersey, particularly when it comes to unrestricted free agents who may not be coming back for 2013-14.
The Rangers, however, are heading to the playoffs.
They currently sit eighth in the East, and could be looking at a potential first-round match-up against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the top team in the conference.
The Rangers do also have a chance to finish as high as sixth in the conference, which would pit them against the red-hot Washington Capitals.
“We’re still playing in our home barn, our fans are there,” Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh told ESPN New York.
“It’s our last game of the regular season and we still have a chance to move up in the standings, depending on how teams shake out. We’re just gonna approach it like another huge two points, which it is, and try to get another win on home ice.”