Overview
The New Jersey Devils (39-15-5) will play the Colorado Avalanche (34-19-5) at Bell Arena tonight. The Devils won their last game against the Philadelphia Flyers 7-0.
New Jersey is red hot right now and has won three-straight games. They humiliated the Flyers on Saturday, finding the back of the net with almost every opportunity. Now, with a month and change left to play in the regular season, the Devils will look to enter the home stretch with a strong win against an equally hot Avalanche squad.
The Devils are in second place in the Metropolitan Division with 83 points, three behind the Carolina Hurricanes. The Avalanche sit third in the Central Division with 73 points, two behind the second-place Wild.
Lines and Pairings
Devils –
Forwards:
Tatar-Hischier-Mercer
Sharangovich-Hughes-Bratt
Palat-Haula-Boqvist
Wood-McLeod-Bastian
Defense:
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Graves-Marino
Bahl-Severson
Goalies:
Vanecek
Schmid
Avalanche –
Forwards:
Lehkonen-MacKinnon-Nichushkin
Rodrigues-Compher-Rantanen
Malgin-Newhook-O’Connor
Coglano-Meyers-Nieto
Defense:
Girard-Towes
Byram-Manson
Hunt-Johnson
Goalies:
Georgiev
Johansson
Keys to the Game
No Meier Yet
Everyone in Devils’ land is still riding high off the recent acquisition of star forward Timo Meier, but do not expect to see him tonight. He was dealing with an upper-body injury before the trade, and it seems it’s still affecting him. Head coach Lindy Ruff said that it’s “unlikely” Meier will suit up. Expect to see him on Friday at the earliest.
Jump on Avalanche Early
In his press conference yesterday, head coach Lindy Ruff mentioned that the Devils often don’t get off to great starts, which could hurt them against Colorado. The Avalanche are known to jump on opponents early, so the Devils will need to be on their game from the first puck drop to avoid having to stage a comeback.
Tonight’s game can be seen on MSGSN at 9:00 PM EST.