Overview
After winning their ninth-straight game on Saturday, the Devils will look to extend their streak against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Center. Everything’s been clicking for New Jersey over these past nine games, from goaltending to depth to, most importantly, their finishing. Even on nights when not every aspect of the team is performing, the Devils have found ways to win. They’ll need to bring that same mentality into a game against a surprisingly average Canadiens team.
The Devils hold a record of 12-3-0 and are in first place in the Metropolitan Division. The Canadiens are 8-6-1 and sit in sixth place in the Atlantic Division.
Lines and Pairings
Devils –
Forwards:
Tatar-Hischier-Zetterlund
Haula-Hughes-Bratt
Sharangovich-Mercer-Boqvist
Wood-McLeod-Bastian
Defense:
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Graves-Marino
Smith-Severson
Goalies:
Vanecek
Schmid
Canadiens –
Forwards:
Caufield-Suzuki-Dach
Hoffman-Dvorak-Gallagher
Dadonov-Monohan-Anderson
Drouin-Evans-Armia
Defense:
Guhle-Savard
Edmundson-Xhekaj
Harris-Kovacevic
Goalies:
Allen
Montembeault
Keys to the Game
Vanecek Makes His Return
After suffering a head injury partway through the Devils’ win last Thursday against Ottawa, there was some concern that Vitek Vanecek could be out for some time, leaving the team without a goalie. However, after missing just shy of a game-and-a-half, the first-year Devils’ goaltender is set to make his return on the team’s upcoming three-game road trip.
In Vanecek’s absence, Akira Schmid played well. The rookie netminder stopped 23 of 25 shots (.920 save percentage) and earned the Third Star of the game Saturday against Arizona.
Montreal’s Hot Line
Quietly, Montreal has had one of the better offensive lines in the NHL. That line would be the young trio of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Kirby Dach. The group has combined for 10 goals in just under 84 minutes of ice time. If you look at the underlyings it’s not as pretty, but they still hold a respectable 50.00 Corsi-for percentage and 53.95 expected goals-for percentage.
Tonight’s game at the Bell Centre is scheduled for a 7:00 P.M. ET puck drop and can be seen on MSG SportsNet.