Overview
After an intense victory at Madison Square Garden on Monday, the New Jersey Devils head back home for a matchup against the Nashville Predators. Nashville has been the definition of average this season, winning 10 of their 22 games. The Devils will look to take advantage of this and defeat Nashville for the first time since former team bench boss, John Hynes, took over as head coach.
The Devils hold a record of 19-4-0 and are in first place in the Metropolitan Division. The Predators are 10-9-2 and sit fifth in the Central Division.
Lines and Pairings
Devils –
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Predators –
Forwards:
Forsberg-Parssinen-Granlund
Jeannot-Sissons-Duchene
Smith-Johansen-Niederreiter
Trenin-Glass-Jankowski
Defense:
McDonagh-Josi
Ekholm-Carrier
Lauzon-Fabbro
Goalies:
Saros
Lankinen
Keys to the Game
Defenseless
For the first time in over a month there is a chance the New Jersey Devils will change their defensive pairs. This comes after the news that John Marino is day-to-day with an upper body injury. After missing practice yesterday, his availability is up in the air tonight.
Kevin Bahl would slot in for him if he cannot suit up against Nashville. While John Marino has been great, Devils’ fans should be relieved it’s not one of Dougie Hamilton or Jonas Siegenthaler who have been two of the best defenseman in the NHL. New Jersey will be just fine.
Flooded
Last weekend, the Nashville Predators had to postpone both of their games due to flooding at Bridgestone Arena. Coming off a 3-0 loss on the road at home, Nashville is hoping that this short break can get them out of their slow start. They have already won their first game following the flood, 2-1 in overtime against the Anaheim Ducks.
The Preds have a tough two game road trip coming up now though against the top two teams in the Metropolitan Division. This will certainly be telling of where they are as a team.
Where To Watch
Tonight’s game at the Prudential Center is slated for a 7:00 P.M. ET puck drop. It can be seen on MSG SportsNet.