The layoff is finally over and the New Jersey Devils (5-2-1) hit the road. They enjoyed home cooking, where they won two out of three games. One of those games were against their next opponent.
New Jersey defeated the Minnesota Wild (3-4-2) 4-3 in a closely contested battle. This is the first of four games on a road trip through the Central Division. Nico Hischier did not travel with the deal and is still dealing with an injury from the Connor Clifton hit.
Projected Lineup
New Jersey Devils
Forwards
Toffoli-Hughes-Meier
Palat-McLeod-Bratt
Mercer-Haula-Bastian
Holtz-Tierney-Bastian
Defense
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Bahl-Marino
Hughes-Smith
Goalies
Vanecek
Schmid
Minnesota Wild
Kaprizov-Hartman-Zuccarello
Johansson-Eriksson Ek-Maroon
Foligno-Rossi-Lettieri
Hunt-Dewar-Duhaime
Defense
Brodin-Faber
Middleton-Mermis
Merrill-Addison
Goalies
Gustavsson
Fleury
What to Watch For
The Devils Line Shuffling
There is no cause for concern when it comes to the top line. Jack Hughes and Tyler Toffoli have had chemistry from day one and Timo Meier found the back of the net while alongside them. However, with Hischier out it’s the next man up mentality that’ll be a factor in this game and on the road trip.
Hischier started the season slow but has picked up steam as of late. While he has been outscored 3-1 at five on five and outshot (41-33), he has been impactful offensively. His 4.17 expected goals for (xGF) place him seventh of the Devils.
The time has come for Michael McLeod, who will have an increased role with the Devils. Being paired with Jesper Bratt and Ondrej Palat could do wonders and having that extra layer of depth scoring will be something to watch for.
Increased Five-on-Five Scoring
It is no secret that the power play (PP) is lethal. The puck movement is fluent and the chemistry is there. When the team gets an opportunity, the players know they can score and currently have the best PP across the league (42.3% success rate). However, the team could use a bump in scoring when the game is played at five on five.
Minnesota has been good at five on five, and have scored the third most goals with 23. However, defensively they are lacking and are often chasing the game (47.35 Corsi-for percentage). In addition, the team has the ninth most expected goals against (xGA) with 19.36 and have allowed 24.
For the Devils, keeping the pressure on and developing good offensive zone time will be huge. Look for the Devils to pounce on the Minnesota defense and increase their finishing ability. New Jersey was one of the best teams at even strength last season and will look for that to click together on this road trip.
How to Watch
Tonight’s puck drop is at 8:00 pm ET and can be found on MSG.