The New Jersey Devils (21-5-2) host the Dallas Stars (16-8-5) on Tuesday night. New Jersey enters on just their second two-game losing skid of the season, after falling 4-3 to the New York Rangers in overtime Monday night. Both teams are skating in the second half of a back-to-back after Dallas fell 2-1 in Pittsburgh on Monday.
The Devils remain atop the Metropolitan Division with 44 points while the Stars are second in the Central with 37 points. This is the first matchup of the season between NJ and Dallas.
Match Overview
The Devils have cooled off a bit after their 13-game win streak, going 6-2-2 in their last ten games. While that record is still absolutely acceptable, New Jersey’s overall play has dipped slightly. Per Shayna Goldman of The Athletic, Monday was the first time the Devils lost a game in which they held a two goal lead this season.
The Devils will likely have Akira Schmid in net against the Stars, with Vitek Vanecek already playing in the first game of the back-to-back. Vanecek had a subpar night against the Rangers, allowing 1.98 goals above expected in an overtime loss. To his credit, Schmid has played very well this year, posting a .940 save percentage and a 5.31 GSAx over six appearances.
Meanwhile, the Stars are 5-3-2 in their last ten and had a two-game win streak snapped in Pittsburgh on Monday. Dallas is led by Jason Robertson offensively. The 23-year-old winger leads the team with 23 goals in 29 games and 42 points. His 23 goals are second in the league behind only Connor McDavid with 25. Roope Hintz is second on the team with 33 points while Miro Heiskanen leads the Stars defense with 22 points.
The Stars will likely turn to backup (and old friend) Scott Wedgewood against the Devils. Wedgewood has been solid this season with a .908 save percentage and a 0.85 GSAx. Starter Jake Oettinger owns a .915 save percentage and a 8.51 GSAx, but he played Monday in Pittsburgh.
Projected Lines
New Jersey Devils –
Forwards:
Tatar-Hischier-Bratt
Haula-Hughes-Mercer
Zetterlund-McLeod-Wood
Sharangovich-Boqvist-Holtz
Defensemen:
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Graves-Marino
Smith-Severson
Goaltenders:
Schmid
Vanecek
Dallas Stars –
Forwards:
Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
Marchment-Seguin-Dellandrea
Benn-Johnson-Gurianov
Kiviranta-Faksa-Glendening
Defensemen:
Heiskanen-Lundkvist
Suter-Miller
Lindell-Hakanpaa
Goaltenders:
Wedgewood
Oettinger
What to Watch For
Jack Hughes:
With a goal at Madison Square Garden on Monday, Jack Hughes extended his point streak to eight games. Over that span, Hughes has netted seven goals to go with five assists. On the year, the former first-overall pick leads New Jersey with 15 goals and 34 points.
Besides his point streak, Hughes has continued to drive play at five-on-five. In Monday’s loss, the 21-year-old center registered a 63.16 CF% and a 67.61 xGF%. Meanwhile, Hughes and his linemate Dawson Mercer led the Devils in game score by a comfortable margin.
Every night, Hughes is creating offense in droves, and should have plenty of chances to extend his point streak to a career-high nine games.
Can the Devils Stifle Jason Robertson?
Speaking of point streaks, the Devils need to slow down the Stars’ top line in order to win this one. The trio of Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, and Joe Pavelski are the three leading point producers on Dallas, with Robertson grabbing the headlines.
The 2017 second-round draft pick is second in the NHL with 23 goals and had his own 18-game point streak snapped by Toronto last week. Robertson has only scored one point in his last four games though, and the Devils need to continue to keep him quiet.
For the year, Robertson leads Dallas with a 59.58 CF% and a 60.44 xGF% at five-on-five, so the task will be difficult. Expect the pairing of John Marino and Ryan Graves to see plenty of the Stars’ top line with the Devils having last change.
The New Jersey Fourth Line
Quite literally, watch to see if and when the Devils’ fourth line is on the ice. The trio of Alexander Holtz, Jesper Boqvist, and Yegor Sharangovich all played less than six minutes at five-on-five on Monday night, and none played particularly well. Holtz had the best numbers of the three with a 40.00 CF% and a 50.16 xGF% while Sharangovich had a woeful 7.69 CF% and a 7.30 xGF%.
Throughout his time in New Jersey, head coach Lindy Ruff has shown that he wants to roll four lines, but is not afraid to bench players if necessary, and that appeared to be the case on Monday. However, rolling all four lines is especially important in a back-to-back. The New Jersey fourth line needs to play much better against Dallas to earn more minutes and keep the lineup fresh.
Do not be surprised if you see a lineup change tonight.
Where to Watch
MSG Network will televise the Devils and Stars. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET at the Prudential Center.
Note: All statistics via Natural Stat Trick.