Overview

After a rollercoaster 7-6 loss to the Florida Panthers yesterday, the New Jersey Devils are set to take on the New York Islanders in a matinee contest today. Yesterday was arguably the toughest loss of the season for New Jersey in a year that has seen a lot of them. New Jersey looked as if they had iit in the bag, up 6-2 with a hat trick from Yegor Sharangovich entering the third period. However, the Panthers came back, scoring four goals to tie the game and scoring the game-winner in overtime.

Said Lindy Ruff in his postgame press conference, “This one’s a tough pill to swallow, this is a tough one to put away.” The Devils will look to put this one away, however, in today’s meeting with the red-hot Islanders.

With yesterday’s loss, the Devils hold a record of 24-38-6 and are in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders, on the other hand, own a record of 31-27-9 and are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games. They sit in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division.

Projected Lines and Pairings

Devils’ Lines

Forwards:

Sharangovich-Hughes-Mercer

Tatar-Hischier-Bratt

Johansson-Boqvist-Wood

Vesey-McLeod-Bastian

Defense:

Siegenthaler-Hamilton

Graves-Severson

Smith-Subban

Goalies:

Daws

Hammond

Islanders’ Lines

Forwards:

Lee-Nelson-Beauvillier

Parise-Barzal-Wahlstrom

Bailey-Pageau-Palmieri

Martin-Cizikas-Bellows

Defense:

Chara-Dobson

Pelech-Pulock

Aho-Hutton

Goalies:

Varlamov

Schneider

Keys to the Game

Yegor Sharangovich

As mentioned above, Yegor Sharangovich had a hat trick in yesterday’s loss. It was the first of his career, but unfortunately, it will be remembered in the context of one of the most brutal losses of the season. Sharangovich has had a serviceable campaign so far, potting 19 goals and 39 points in 62 games played. Additionally, he has decent possession metrics, with a 52.22 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 53.32 expected-goals percentage (xG%). Look for Sharangovich to make some noise in today’s matchup.

Stop the Streaking Islanders

Surprisingly, the Islanders have been on a roll as of late, playing to a 7-3-0 record in their last 10 games and winning their last three. The Islanders have had a surprisingly bad season, all but knocking themselves out of playoff contention. That said, they’re playing for pride and they’re hungry, so the Devils will not be facing an easy contest.

Today’s game can be seen on TNT at 4:00 PM EDT.