Overview
After falling 3-2 in regulation to Tampa Bay on Thursday, the New Jersey Devils (15-22-5) head up the East Coast to take on the Carolina Hurricanes (29-9-2). This is the second meeting of the year between the division rivals, with the Devils picking up a 7-4 victory at The Rock last Saturday.
Carolina leads the Metropolitan Division with a .750 points percentage and has picked up wins over Vegas and Ottawa since tasting defeat in Newark last weekend.
The Hurricanes are elite in all facets of their game. Carolina scores 3.55 goals per game, good for fourth in the NHL, while surrendering just 2.40 goals per game, the top mark in the league. On special teams, Carolina boasts the league’s fifth best power play at 25.8%. The Canes also kill off 88.7% of penalties, the best in the NHL this season.
Projected Lines (via Daily Faceoff)
Devils’
Forwards:
Sharangovich – Hughes – Bratt
Zacha – Hischier – Bastian
Johnsson – Mercer – Tatar
Kuokkanen – Boqvist – Vesey
Defensemen:
Siegenthaler – Severson
Graves – Subban
White – Smith
Goaltenders:
Gillies
Schmid
Hurricanes’
Forwards:
Teräväinen – Aho – Jarvis
Svechnikov – Trocheck – Necas
Niederreiter – Staal – Fast
Lorentz – Kotkaniemi – Stepan
Defensemen:
Slavin – DeAngelo
Skjei – Pesce
Cole – Bear
Goaltenders:
Andersen
Raanta
Who/What To Watch
Andreas Johnsson
Andreas Johnsson had a big game against Carolina last week, scoring his 10th goal of the season and adding two assists. However, those are the only three points the Swede has registered since the start of 2022. Johnsson was one of the most important Devils early in the season, piling up 18 points in 20 contests in October and November, but he has since slowed down considerably. New Jersey will need scoring throughout the lineup in order to take down one of the league’s best teams once again.
Sebastian Aho
Aho is the unquestioned star of the Hurricanes and was the lone Carolina skater named to the Metropolitan Division All-Star team. Aho is scoring at a career-high rate of 1.19 points-per-game with 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points through 37 games played. The Devils kept the 24-year-old Finn off the scoresheet last weekend, and they will need to limit Aho’s chance to come out on top against Carolina for the second time in a week.
Frederik Andersen
When the Devils defeated the Hurricanes last weekend, they faced Jack LaFontaine, a 2016 third round draft pick who was making his first NHL start in goal. This time around, Carolina has its primary goalie tandem back on the active roster. Starter Frederik Andersen has been sensational in his first season in Carolina, posting a 2.05 GAA and .928 save percentage. The Dane has won a whopping 23 of his 29 games and was named to his second All-Star team. Whether New Jersey sees Andersen or backup Antti Rantaa tonight (2.35 GAA, .908 SV%), the Devils will be tested heavily by the Hurricanes’ netminder.
Where To Watch
Puck drop in Raleigh is set for 7:00 PM. The game will be aired on MSG+.