Match Overview
Coming off an excellent performance against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday, the New Jersey Devils are set to face off against the Nashville Predators tonight. The Predators will be a slightly tougher opponent than Philadelphia. However, head coach Lindy Ruff’s squad will have an advantage they haven’t had in a while: momentum. One win isn’t all that much, but it should help get the Devils rolling. With a win tonight, New Jersey is one step closer to digging themselves out of the deep hole they dug themselves into.
The Devils hold a record of 10-9-5 and sit in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division. The Predators, on the other hand, own a record of 15-10-1 and are in fourth place in the Central Division.
Lines and Pairings
Devils’ Lines
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Predators’ Lines
Forwards:
Forsberg-Granlund-Duchene
Tolvanen-Johansen-Kunin
Trenin-Sissons-Jeannot
Cousins-Novak-Tomasino
Defense:
Josi-Fabbro
Ekholm-Carrier
Borowieckei-Benning
Goalies:
Ingram
Rittich
What to Watch
Head Coach Lindy Ruff’s Cool-down
It’s been well-documented that head coach Lindy Ruff has had his struggles this season. However, he may have regained his composure. Specifically, he has had trouble with overthinking the lines and who should get ice-time. One example of this is his ‘FOGO‘ use with playing Michael McLeod (who is fine, but less deserving of the ice-time he gets than other forwards).
Despite this, he made good decisions regarding ice-time in the game against Philadelphia. As he played the better forwards more (Michael McLeod was only given 11-minutes of ice-time). Head coach Lindy Ruff’s decision-making has been extremely frustrating to watch, prompting some Devils’ fans to call for his firing. Hopefully, he can turn the Devils’ season around.
Jesper Bratt
Bratt has been playing solid hockey all year, and two nights ago was no different as he posted a goal and an assist. The Swedish forward has had a strong start to his season, notching six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in his first 24 games. Additionally, he has good underlying numbers with a 53.68 Corsi-for % (CF%) and an expected goals-for % (xGF%) of 58.37. Bratt is on a roll, so he’s definitely a player you should watch tonight.
My Prediction
There is a high chance that the Devils will face off against rookie goaltender Connor Ingram. He only has two career starts to his name, so I’ll predict a high-scoring, 6-4 victory.
Odds for Tonight’s Game:
The money line odds for the Devils’ tonight are +100 (subject to change) against the Nashville Predators. Tonight’s over/under goal matchup is set at six goals. All odds are courtesy of Betway, sign up at Betway.com today!