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The Devils haven’t defeated the Blues in quite some time. -Getty Images
Devils Overview
After ending a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild, the New Jersey Devils still hold onto the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. Tonight, they enter their second of a current four-game road trip as they take on the St. Louis Blues. It was mentioned on NHL.com’s game preview how the Devils lost their last four matchups against the Blues, three of them being in St. Louis. The Devils are looking to string together consecutive wins for the second time in eight games, while putting an end to their recent winning drought in East Missouri. A win tonight would put the Devils away record at 13-7-2 and 6-3-1 in their last ten road contests. Despite Dave Schlemko and Tyler Kennedy returning in Sunday’s contest, the Devils are still without forwards Mike Cammalleri, Jacob Josefson, Patrik Elias, Jiri Tlusty, and defenseman John Moore. Backup Keith Kinkaid is starting for the Devils tonight. It’s his first game since 12/29 against Carolina, which put him at 3-4-0 in eight starts this season. Kinkaid has a 2.42 GAA, .905 SV%, and is 2-2-0 in four road starts this season.
Blues Overview
Like the Devils, St. Louis has played just above .500 hockey in their last ten games, and is dealing with their own onslaught of injuries. While center Paul Stasny is considered day-to-day, the Blues are without goaltender Jake Allen, defensemen Jay Bouwmeester, Carl Gunnarsson, and winger Magnus Paajarvi. With Paajarvi out and right wing Martin Havlat no longer with the organization, neither player who scored in the Blues’ initial 2-0 victory against the Devils is playing tonight. On a grander scale however, the Devils will still have their hands full against the likes of Vladimir Tarasenko, David Backes, and Alexander Steen up front, while the Blues still have a healthy Kevin Shattenkirk and Alex Pietrangelo patrolling the blue line. Going into tonight, the Blues have played four of their last five games on the road, over which they went 1-1-3. Right wing Vladimir Tarasenko has just three goals but eight points in his last ten contests, while Alex Steen and David Backes have combined for just three goals in their last 12 games.
Who to watch
Joe Blandisi…He had a good first game after being called up, mostly on a line with Adam Henrique and Lee Stempniak. Some say he might have been robbed of his first NHL point after hooking up Adam Henrique in scoring Sunday night’s opening goal. Blandisi played decent minutes for his fourth NHL game (14:50), his highest total to date. While he looks comfortable with Henrique and Stempniak, I’d like to see him on Zajac and Palmieri’s line because I think he’ll gel much better with Palmieri’s shoot-first mentality. Nonetheless, he has a knack for hanging around the net and has the momentum to follow up Sunday’s performance with an even better one tonight.
The Devils need to keep an eye on Alex Steen, who can fly under the radar tonight. -Zimbio.com
Alexander Steen…He’s scored the most goals against the Devils on the Blues (seven), and has a much better track record at home this season than he does on the road. Believe it or not, this is the first time this year Steen has gone more than two games without a point. His six goal-less games also makes up his second-longest goal drought of the 2015-2016 season, having been previously unable to score in nine straight contests throughout November. Between being due to get back on the score sheet, his success against the Devils, and neither player that scored against the Devils the last time being in the lineup tonight, it’s an ideal scenario for Steen to have a breakout performance.
What to watch
Continuing successful trends…As previously mentioned, the Devils could improve their road record to 13-7-2 with a win tonight. The Devils are also 10-8-2 in 20 matches they’ve had against teams with better records theirs. Those numbers might have been misrepresented on the count of the team’s three-game slide. Regardless, the Devils have played some of their best hockey this season against some of their toughest competition. This, along with their recent road success can make the environment going into tonight’s game feel not as unwelcoming to the team and us watching back at home.
Powerless power play…A few weeks ago, the Devils power play was top-five in the league and remained in the top-ten for the majority of the season. It sits at 14th going into tonight’s game, with a lack of opponent penalties and not capitalizing on their recent chances, factoring into the team’ recent drought on the man-advantage. The Blues won’t make this any easier for the Devils to lift themselves out of, as they currently have the seventh-best penalty kill in the league.
Where to watch
MSG +2 (Local)
FS-MW (St. Louis)
When to watch
8:00pm EST