Match Overview

Having lost three of their last four, the Devils will look to rebound against the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal comes into tonight’s matchup having lost just four games in regulation and currently sit atop the Eastern Conference with 36 points.

They also come into tonight’s match on a three game win streak, but will be without starting netminder, Carey Price. Coach Michel Therrien said that it’s the same injury that bothered Price earlier in the season and kept him out for nine games. Price will be out a minimum of one week and will not play in either game of the home and home this weekend. Rookie, Mike Condon, will start in his place Friday night. Dustin Tokarski was called up from the AHL to fill the roster spot.

Tyler Kennedy skated on the 4th line in today’s morning skate. He signed a 1 year, 2-way deal for $600k. Jiri Tlusty was put on IR to free up a spot for Kennedy in order for him to play tonight.

Projected Lines

New Jersey

Cammalleri/Henrique/Stempniak

Kalinin/Zajac/Palmieri

Elias/Josefson/Tootoo

Farnham/Gionta/Kennedy

 

Greene/Larsson

Moore/Severson

Gelinas/Merrill

 

Schneider

Montreal

Pacioretty/Plekanec/Smith-Pelly

Eller/Galchenyuk/Andrighetto

Fleischmann/Desharnais/Weise

Byron/Flynn/Holloway

 

Markov/Subban

Emelin/Petry

Gilbert/Beaulieu

 

Condon

Goaltending Matchup

Cory Schneider…Despite having lost three of their last four, Schneider has held up his end of the deal. In three starts, he has a .924% save percentage. It hasn’t been for a lack of goaltending, so the rest of the team will need to pick up the slack.

Mike Condon…The rookie goaltender filled in for Price earlier this season when he was out with an injury. Condon has made eleven starts on the season, with eight of those coming in the month of November. On the year he’s 7-2-2 with a .916% save percentage and a 2.16 goals against average. However, his save percentage is just .904 in November and has just a .877 in his last 5 starts.

Players to Watch

P.K. Subban…One of the top defensemen in the league, Subban is off to a great start with 20 points in 23 games. For his career, he has 10 points in 15 games against the Devils. Subban can do just about everything. He has 11 even strength points and 9 powerplay points. He’ll also lock down his opponent’s top players on a nightly basis. The Devils will need to find a way to limit Subban’s impact on the game or it could be a long game for New Jersey.

Patrik Elias…In his second game since returning from injury, he will skate on a line with Jacob Josefson and Jordin Tootoo. The Devils are in desperate need of secondary scoring. Elias has faced Montreal numerous times in his career, scoring 50 points in 63 games. Can he provide a spark on the third line that they’ve needed all season? We’ll find out tonight.

Keys to the Game

• Shoot the puck…The Devils have not recorded over 30 shots in a game since their 4-0 victory against the Penguins on November 14th. Against Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Columbus; the Devils managed to average just 22.5 shots on goal. You won’t be winning many games if you’re only averaging that amount. They’ll be facing a young goaltender who’s struggled in his last few starts. The Devils will need to test him early and make him feel uncomfortable in net.

• Secondary Scoring…It seems like all the goals are coming from Mike Cammalleri, Adam Henrique, or Kyle Palmieri these days. Despite his tremendous start, Stempniak only has 4 goals on the year. Travis Zajac has not scored in eight games and has just three assists in that timespan. If the Devils are to remain contenders throughout the season, they will need other players besides Henrique, Cammalleri, and Palmieri to score some goals.

• Special Teams…The Devils have the 6th ranked powerplay at 21.1% while their PK is ranked 7th at 84.2%. The Canadiens come in with the 3rd ranked powerplay and 2nd ranked penalty kill. Whoever wins the special teams battle will most likely come out on top by night’s end.