Overview

Fresh off a 4-3 victory in Detroit Tuesday night and coming off the holiday break, the Devils return to action tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Devils defeated Carolina 5-1 in their last meeting on December 3rd. The Devils will be looking for their first set of back-to-back wins since November 12th-14th when they defeated Chicago and Pittsburgh.

Carolina has shown signs of having a quality team. Their 53% possession mark is 4th best in the NHL. However, they have been hampered by some brutal goaltending from Cam Ward and Eddie Lack. Their even strength save percentage (.904) is tied for last in the NHL with Calgary.

Patrik Elias did not make the trip to Carolina and will not play tonight.

Projected Lines

New Jersey

Cammalleri/Henrique/Stempniak

Tlusty/Zajac/Palmieri

Kalinin/Josefson/Kennedy

Ruutu/Gionta/Tootoo

 

Greene/Larsson

Moore/Severson

Gelinas/Schlemko

 

Schneider

Carolina

Versteeg/Staal/Lindholm

Nordstrom/Staal/Nestrasil

Skinner/Rask/Di Giuseppe

Malone/McClement/Terry

 

Liles/Faulk

Slavin/Hainsey

Hanifin/Pesce

 

Ward

Goaltending Matchup

Cory Schneider…He comes into tonight with a .925 save percentage, good for 8th best in the NHL. This will be his first start against Carolina this season. For his career, Schneider is 4-1-1 with a .947 save percentage against Carolina.

Cam Ward…He’s given Carolina less than average goaltending throughout the year. His even strength save percentage is dead last for goalies who have played more than 1000 minutes on the year. On the season, he has just a .900 save percentage with a 10-10-2 record.

Players to Watch

Adam Henrique…He hasn’t scored since returning from an injury and has just 1 assist in those five games. Tonight presents a good opportunity for him to get back on the scoresheet and to return to his scoring ways prior to his injury.

Justin Faulk…He’s been Carolina’s best player this season and one of the best defensemen in the league. He has 4 points in his last 5 games while averaging over 25 minutes of ice time during that span. The Devils will need to find a way to limit damage created by him.

Keys to the Game

Shoot Often and Early…As mentioned above, the Canes have been brought down by some brutally bad goaltending recently. The Devils were able to jump out to an early lead in their first matchup this season. If they do the same tonight, they should come out on top with the win.

Be Defensively Sound…While Carolina’s record may not indicate it, they’re in the top 10 in the league in SCF% (scoring chances for). They have some weapons such as the aforementioned Justin Faulk and Jeff Skinner. Faulk leads the teams in goals, assists and points, while Skinner has scored 10 goals in 19 games against the Devils. New Jersey will need to limit chances created by these two to come out on top tonight.

Where to Watch

MSG+

When to Watch

7PM