The first installment of the Battle Of Hudson commences tonight in Newark when the Rangers visit the Devils at The Rock. The close rivals separated by a Path ride begin a new journey. The Post Brodeur Era. With Martin Brodeur no longer a Devil hoping to catch on somewhere, Cory Schneider is their new number one goalie. With that comes plenty of expectations and pressure. After winning his first three starts, he’s allowed eight goals during the last two losses including getting pulled in Washington after permitting five. He’ll make his sixth straight start.

As usual, Henrik Lundqvist will man the net for the Blueshirts. After giving up an uncharacteristic 12 goals in consecutive defeats, he’s bounced back winning his last two starts while posting a 0.48 goals-against-average that included his 51st career shutout coming Sunday against San Jose. Lundqvist has stopped 62 of the last 63 shots. Facing a familiar foe he has fared well against posting a 30-14-6 record with a 1.87 GAA, .932 save percentage and eight shutouts, he’ll make his 51st career start in the regular season versus New Jersey.

The Rangers aim for a third consecutive win while the Devils try to avoid a three-game losing streak. Tonight’s game features two hot leading scorers. Rick Nash is off to a tremendous start with a league-leading seven goals and is tied with the Islanders’ Brock Nelson for third in scoring with eight points. Derick Brassard has rebounded from a slow start with three goals over the last four. Reunited with Mats Zuccarello and joined by Martin St. Louis, who got his first in their win over San Jose, Brassard anchors the top line while improving rookie Kevin Hayes centers Nash and Chris Kreider. With Carl Hagelin finally scoring and Chris Mueller doing a solid job on the fourth line, does Anthony Duclair sit again?

For the Devils, free agent addition Mike Cammalleri has been superb pacing them with five goals and seven points. Jaromir Jagr has three assists so far and is searching for his first goal. Adam Henrique and Michael Ryder each have five points and 20-year old rookie defenseman Damon Severson is out quickly with three goals. They’ll need more production from franchise scoring leader Patrik Elias. The noted Ranger killer usually steps it up in these games.

New Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh hasn’t recorded a point yet. He is coming off a strong game and could make an impact. Meanwhile, partner Dan Girardi is a “game-time decision” according to coach Alain Vigneault. He suffered a leg laceration Sunday after blocking a shot. If he cannot go, that means Michael Kostka which could spell doom. UPDATE: Scratch that. After taking the morning skate, Girardi declared himself ready to go.

The Devils could have a different look. Marty Havlat is questionable due to facial lacerations suffered against the Capitals. That could mean Damien Brunner again or Jacob Josefson. Defenseman Adam Larsson is expected to replace Eric Gelinas in the lineup. The former 2011 first round pick hasn’t been handled well by coach Pete DeBoer. Last year was a nightmare with the 21-year old Swede recording a goal and two assists in 26 games while spending most of the winter in Albany. After being beaten out by Severson, he expressed frustration. If he plays tonight, here’s a chance to prove he belongs.

Face off is at 7:07. With Game 1 of the World Series starting an hour later between the Giants and Royals, it should be interesting to see how they do. With Dad an avid Giants fan since the classic days of the Polo Grounds, there could be plenty of channel flipping. Either way, I’ll have a game review with Hasan taking the Devils.