Tonight, the New Jersey Devils look to extend their winning streak to four games against division-rival Washington Capitals. The Devils own a record of 3-2-0 this season. Meanwhile, the Capitals own a record of 3-3-0, with their most recent game being a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday Night. 

On their three-game winning streak, which matches the team’s longest all of last year, the Devils have beaten the Anaheim Ducks, New York Islanders, and San Jose Sharks. In those three games, the Devils have outshot their opponents a total of 120 to 59. They are rolling.

The Capitals, on the other hand, came out slow from the gate. After losing two straight to begin the season, they rebounded nicely, by going 3-1-0 over their last four games. Each of the team’s six games have featured four or more goals. Four of the six have featured at least seven.

The Capitals have several players on injured reserve. These consist of Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, Carl Hagelin, and Connor Brown. The Devils will likely see Darcy Kuemper (.899 save percentage, -1.97 goals saved above expected) in net.

Projected Lines

New Jersey Devils –

Forwards:

Palat-Hischier-Bratt

Sharangovich-Hughes-Mercer

Tatar-Haula-Wood

Bastian-McLeod-Holtz

Defensemen:

Siegenthaler-Hamilton

Graves-Severson

Smith-Marino

Bahl

Goaltenders:

Vanecek

Blackwood

Washington Capitals –

Forwards:

Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Sheary

Johansson-Strome-Oshie

Protas-Eller-Mantha

Snively-Dowd-Hathaway

Defensemen:

Orlov-Carlson

Fehervary-Jensen

Gustafsson-Van Riemsdyk

Goaltenders:

Kuemper

Lindgren

What to Watch For

Devils Look to Continue Dominance

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Devils currently own the league’s best Corsi-for percentage (CF%) at 64.46 and expected goals-for percentage (xFG%) at 70.11. The Devils are playing what could be their toughest opponent yet, but with the Capitals owning a CF% of 49.82% (17th) and xG% of 46.45% (23rd), the Devils should aim to continue playing their game and hope that they finish more of their chances.

Jesper Bratt Continues His Elite Play

With eight points (all assists) through the team’s first eight games, Jesper Bratt tied the franchise record of most assists through the team’s first five games. The record was previously held only by Will Butcher in 2017-18.

Not only do Bratt’s eight points lead the team, but he also has fantastic possession numbers. Bratt’s 71.33 CF% and 69.56 xG% ranks second and 15th in the entire league of skaters with at least 40 minutes of ice time (541 qualified).

Tonight’s game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 P.M. ET and can be found on MSG Sportsnet.