Jamie Benn and the Stars come into New Jersey tonight. -Youtube
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Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders courtesy of Left Wing Lock.
The New Jersey Devils are right back in action tonight following a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss against the Montreal Canadiens. They will be taking on the Dallas Stars, who are fresh off of a 5-2 victory against the New York Islanders on Wednesday.
Match Overview
The Devils are on the second half of a back-to-back, while the Stars are at the front end of their own. Coach Hynes will be addressing the media at 4:30 PM and will most likely name his starting goaltender in that statement. Analysts close to the Devils indicate that Cory Schneider may be getting the nod again. The Stars have confirmed that Kari Lehtonen will be in net tonight. This is also the first of two meetings these teams will have this season.
Who/What to Watch
Brian Gibbons… With the three top players on the Devils out with injuries (Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Marcus Johansson) expect Gibbons to step up and try to be a difference maker tonight. He still leads the team with 12 goals and is going to have to lead the way if the Devils want a chance tonight, given their struggles in the second game of back-to-backs.
A high Scoring Affair… If Schneider is to start tonight, he will be a bit fatigued and thus more vulnerable to giving up a couple more goals. It is no secret that the Stars have their struggles in net. For the 96 goals they have scored this year, they have also given up 92. Expect the lamp to be lit quite a few times tonight.
Shut Down the “Stars”… If the Devils want to win, then they need to keep the potential all stars on Dallas off the score sheet. These names are Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Jason Spezza and Alex Radulov. These four are absolutely lethal and can put the puck in the back of the net almost on command. They can turn any game into a long night for a goaltender.
Prediction
The Devils’ struggles in the second game of back-to-backs is well documented. The Stars are also fresh with a day off and potentially facing a goaltender who played the night before. Like I said, expect a high scoring affair. I’ll take the Stars tonight by a score of 5-3.
When/Where to Watch
7:00 PM MSG+, FS-SW (Dallas)