The New Jersey Devils will conclude their three-game homestand tonight at 7:00 PM against the St. Louis Blues at Prudential Center.
Ex-Devils forwards Scott Gomez and Martin Havlat will play in their first games in Newark since being let go by the team at the conclusion of the 2014-15 regular season.
Havlat is expected to make his debut in a Blues uniform after agreeing to terms on a one-year, two-way contract on November 6th.
“He’s up to speed physically, mentally and now technically,” said Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock in regard to Havlat according to NHL.com’s Louie Korac. “We spent the weekend going over the systems of play… I thought he looked just like a normal hockey player [Monday at practice] so that’s why we’re going to put him in.”
Last season, the Blues swept the season series against New Jersey winning 1-0 in Newark on November 4th and 4-3 in St. Louis on November 6th.
Blues goaltender Jake Allen defeated the Devils in both of last season’s home-and-home match ups. He is expected to start tonight between the pipes for St. Louis.
The Devils are coming into tonight’s game having defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in overtime on Sunday afternoon. Keith Kinkaid recorded his first victory of the regular season and Adam Henrique, Sergey Kalinin, Mike Cammalleri, and Kyle Palmieri, each scored for the Devils.
The Blues are coming into tonight’s game having defeated the Nashville Predators on Saturday in Nashville. Jake Allen had a stellar performance in goal, recording a shutout in a 4-0 victory for St. Louis. Colton Parayko, Alex Pietrangelo, Scottie Upshall, and Alexander Steen each scored for the Blues and Scott Gomez recorded 2 assists.
Projected Goaltending Matchup:
St. Louis:
Jake Allen (Record: 6-3-0 in 9GP) – Allen is coming into tonight’s game with a .945 save percentage and an impressive 1.71 goals against average. He is coming into tonight’s game after posting a 4-0 shutout against the Nashville Predators on Saturday. In his last six games, Allen has a 5-1-0 record, 1.03 goals against average, .968 save percentage, and 2 shutouts.
New Jersey:
Cory Schneider (Record: 7-3-1 in 11GP) – Last season, the number one netminder for the Devils started both games against the Blues stopping a combined 44 of 48 shots on goal. In 8 career games played against St. Louis as a member of the Canucks and Devils, Schneider has a 3-3-1 record. Schneider currently holds a .923 save percentage and 2.15 goals against average. He most recently played on November 6th and posted a 4-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Projected Lineup for St. Louis (per dailyfaceoff.com, subject to change)
Forwards: Steen-Lehtera-Tarasenko;Havlat-Backes-Fabbri;Paajarvi-Gomez-Brouwer;Jaskin-Brodziak-Reaves
Defensemen:Edmunson-Pietrangelo;Bouwmeester-Parayko;Gunarsson-Shattenkirk
Goaltenders: Jake Allen (vs. Schneider)
Injury List: Patrik Berglund (shoulder, long term injured reserve) Paull Stastny (broken right foot, injured reserve), Jaden Schwartz (fractured ankle, will miss approximately 3 months), Steve Ott (day-to-day with upper body injury, did not travel with the team)
Projected Lineup for New Jersey (per dailyfaceoff.com, subject to change)
Forwards: Cammalleri-Henrique-Stempniak;Tlusty-Zajac-Palmieri;Kalinin-Josefson-Tootoo;Farnham-Gionta-O’Neill
Defensemen: Greene-Larsson;Moore-Severson;Merrill-Schlemko
Goaltenders: Cory Schneider (vs. Allen)
Injury List: Patrik Elias (knee), Ryane Clowe (concussion symptoms, long-term injured reserve)
Players to watch:
St. Louis:
Scott Gomez – The 35-year old two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Devils will return to Prudential Center tonight after completing his second stint with the Devils in 2014-15 (7G-27A in 58GP). In 25 career games against New Jersey, Gomez has recorded 4 goals and 14 assists. This season, Gomez has one goal and 5 assists.
New Jersey:
Adam Henrique – In 14 games played this season, the Devils left-winger has scored 7 goals and 4 assists (11 points). In 4 career games played against St. Louis, Henrique has scored 2 goals. He recorded one shorthanded goal in Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
Now an assistant general manager with the St. Louis Blues, former Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur will be in attendance tonight for the first time since his jersey retirement announcement in early October.
Credits to sports.yahoo.com, dailyfaceoff.com, and NHL.com for quotes and statistics.
Be sure to arrive to Prudential Center early for all pre-game festivities for Military Appreciation Night. The Devils will wear camoflague-themed jerseys during pre-game warmups beginning at 6:30 PM and the first 10,000 fans will be given a camoflague-themed Devils cap. All military personnel will also receive a 50% discount on all tickets with a valod military ID. Click here for more information regarding Military Appreciation Night.
If you are interested in attending tonight’s game, check out all listings provided by tiqIQ.com by clicking here.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for all updates leading up to puck drop. Our Twitter and Instagram pages can be found by searching @DevilsArmyBlog. If you are unable to attend the game, it will be televised on MSG+ beginning at 6:30 PM.
Nick Papadimas is a New Jersey native, New Jersey Devils season ticket holder, and avid hockey fan. He is an aspiring sports journalist who has covered high school sports and local events for TAPinto.net since 2012. Nick can be reached on Twitter (@ngpaps) or by e-mail at papadimasn@icloud.com.