The 6-5-1 New Jersey Devils will begin their three-game homestand tonight at 7:00 PM against the 7-5-1 Chicago Blackhawks at Prudential Center.
Tonight’s matchup is the first of two this season between these teams, with the next game next week on November 12th in Chicago.
Last season, the Devils were unable to earn a victory against the eventual 2015 Stanley Cup Champions, as the Blackhawks defeated the Devils 3-2 in a shootout at Prudential Center and 3-1 at United Center.
The Devils fell to the Islanders 2-1 on Tuesday and the Blackhawks were unable to maintain a 3-goal lead against St. Louis on Wednesday, losing 6-5 in overtime.
Our post-game recap of Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the New York Islanders in Brooklyn can be found by clicking here.
Projected Goaltending Matchup:
Chicago:
Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford (50) in the second period of an exhibition game Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014 at the United Center. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Corey Crawford (Record: 6-3-1 in 10GP) – The number one goaltender for the Blackhawks is 3-2-1 in his last five games played. Despite letting in 6 goals against the Blues on Wednesday, Crawford has not let in more than 3 goals thus far this season. He currently maintains a .924 save percentage, 2.20 goals against average, and 2 shutouts.
New Jersey:
New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider in 2015. (Credits: foxsports.com)
Cory Schneider (Record: 6-3-1 in 10GP) – Coming off a 2-1 loss to the Islanders on Tuesday, Schneider is expected to make his 10th consecutive start of the season. He currently holds a .922 save percentage and a 2.16 goals against average.
Projected Line Combinations (per dailyfaceoff.com, subject to change)
Chicago:
Forwards: Panarin-Toews-Garbutt;Teravainen-Anisimov-Kane;Tikhonov-Kero-Dano;Desjardins-Kruger-Shaw
Defensemen: Svedberg-Seabrook;Hjalmarsson-van Riemsdyk;Daley-Gustafsson
Goaltenders: Corey Crawford; Scott Darling
Injury List: Michal Rozsival (ankle), Marian Hossa (lower body, did not travel with the team to NJ), Duncan Keith (knee, long term injured reserve)
New Jersey:
Forwards: Cammalleri-Henrique-Stempniak;Kalinin-Zajac-Palmieri;O’Neill-Josefson-Tootoo;Farnham-Gionta-Gelinas
Extra forward: Stefan Matteau
Defensemen: Greene-Larsson;Moore-Severson;Merrill-Schlemko
Goaltenders: Cory Schneider;Keith Kinkaid
Injury List: Ryane Clowe (concussion symptoms, long term injured reserve), Patrik Elias (lower body, day-to-day), Jiri Tlusty (upper body, possible for today’s game)
Players to watch:
New Jersey:
JANUARY 09, 2015| CREDIT: ANDY MARLIN
Travis Zajac #19 of the New Jersey Devils controls the puck while being pursued by Johnny Boychuk #55 of the New York Islanders during the game at the Prudential Center on January 9, 2015 in Newark, New Jersey.
Travis Zajac – Since the beginning of the season, Zajac has continued to thrive under Devils head coach John Hynes. In his last five games, Travis has recorded 4 points (2G-2A) and is currently tied with Kyle Palmieri and Lee Stempniak with 8 points in 11 games played. He is one goal behind Adam Henrique for the team lead in goals with 5 scored this season.
Chicago:
Blackhawks defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk during the 2015 Stanley Cup Final. (Credits: The Chicago Tribune)
Trevor van Riemsdyk – The rookie Blackhawks defenseman, younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk, and Middletown, New Jersey native will play in his first NHL game in New Jersey this evening. In 13 games played this season, van Riemsdyk has scored 1 goal and 1 assist mostly playing alongside Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson. Out of all rookie defensemen, van Riemsdyk is currently second in average ice time with 20:09.
Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for all updates throughout the evening. 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.
If you are interested in obtaining tickets for tonight’s game, be sure to take a look at all listings provided by tiqIQ.com by clicking here.
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.