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Matchup Overview
Saturday’s 2-0 shutout over the Phoenix Coyotes was a silver lining to an otherwise hapless four-game road trip. The Devils do however, have another opportunity to win back-to-backs against the Calgary Flames tonight. The Flames prevailed in a 3-2 victory the last time these two teams met. Since then, both have struggled to keep their heads above the water in their respective conferences. It’s the Flames are now the visitors in the second and final matchup these two teams will probably have beyond the regular season. This is the second of five straight away games for the Flames, which started with a 2-1 shootout loss against the Oilers.
Devils Overview
Mike Cammalleri’s return tonight should undoubtedly help the Devils in more ways than one. -Dailyherald.com
The Devils are losers in five of their last seven contests, after riding a three-game winning streak into January. The Devils, who haven’t scored more than two goals in a win since January 2nd (3-2 over Dallas), have their second chance to put together consecutive wins since their last winning streak ended. With the outcome of the Boston/Montreal matchup sure to affect how far they can rise, a win tonight could put the Devils back in the second wildcard spot. Left wing Mike Cammalleri will return to the lineup after being sidelined since 12/30. Cammalleri usually plays well against his former teams and the correlation between his absence from the lineup and the Devils’ record is no coincidence. Defenseman John Merrill is sidelined with an apparent injury and left wing Bobby Farnham is serving the third of his four-game suspension.
Flames Overview
With a .500 record (excluding overtime losses), the Flames sit six points out of the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference. Their shootout loss to Edmonton was preceded by a ten-goal scoring spree that occurred over two games (1-1-0). Calgary will have some players returning from injury as well in tonight’s matchup. Forwards Jiri Hudler, Joe Colborne, and defenseman Ladislav Smid are all expected to play tonight, while Jonas Hiller will be in net against New Jersey’s Cory Schneider. This will be Hiller’s first start against the Devils this year and his third since 12/12. He’s gone 1-0-1, including one shutout victory. He faced a total of 47 shots over those two games and surrendered just one goal. He’ll be playing against a Devils team that’s had more than 25 shots in a game twice this month (averaging 24.4 going into tonight).
Who to watch
Can Joe Blandisi possibly stick to the Devils roster if he continues his recent play? -photos.nj.com
Joe Blandisi…He has two assists in the four games since his call-up and averaged over 15 minutes of ice time. He looks more comfortable in a top-six role and on the team’s power play. Although he’s been relegated to the second line with Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri, it might be a better fit for the 21-year old forward, who’s still searching for his first NHL goal.
Sam Bennett…The former fourth-overall pick of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft made waves in the hockey world when he scored four goals against the Florida Panthers a few days ago. The 19-year old forward has six goals in three games going into tonight. His three-game goal streak has transitioned smoothly from two games at home to their first road game (scoring the only goal for Calgary in their shootout loss). There’s no telling how long he’ll ride this goal streak, especially considering how the Devils defensemen will primarily be preoccupied with Calgary’s top-tier forwards Gaudreau, Monahan, and Hudler. It’ll be a prime opportunity for Bennett to fly under the radar in the Devils’ zone.
What to watch
Can Cammalleri resurrect the Devils’ power play…? The Devils power play has been in a free fall since Cammalleri’s absence from the lineup. The power play’s importance to the team’s scoring output (considering their five-on-five struggles) has been magnified greatly this month, with the Devils scoring just once on 21 opportunities. Although Kyle Palmieri has facilitated most of the team’s power play success this season, I’d like to see what Cammalleri’s return to the first unit will do to help turn things around.
Goliath Syndrome…The Devils are by no means a top-tier team this season. It doesn’t change the fact that they’ve struggled mightily against team’s that are well below them in the standings. Aside from their previous loss against Calgary this year, the Devils also lost against Edmonton, Toronto, Carolina, Florida (before the winning streak), Columbus, Winnipeg, Anaheim, and Colorado. Most of these losses were in regulation and all the teams were near or at the bottom of the standings when they played. Will that trend continue against the Flames (26th in the league) tonight?
Where to watch
MSG+ (Local)
SNF (Calgary)
When to watch
7:00pm EST