Thursday, the New Jersey Devils look to get back on track as they return home to face the Montreal Canadiens. New Jersey is coming off several days without a game following a disappointing road trip on the West Coast while Montreal has quietly emerged as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Devils are currently 9-4-0 after losing to the Anaheim Ducks Sunday night. The Canadiens are currently 9-3-1, they lost in a shootout Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Match Overview
The Devils are getting a little bit healthier Thursday night, as Connor Brown is likely to return to the lineup. Cody Glass and Zack MacEwan also skated Wednesday for the first time since being placed on injured reserve more than two weeks ago. While head coach Sheldon Keefe said that they won’t be available tonight, they could be an option as early as this weekend depending on how practice goes on Friday.
The Canadiens have been healthier and have been one of the best teams in hockey to start the season. The only absences on their team are the always banged-up Patrick Laine and shutdown defenseman Kaiden Guhle. The health and emergence of many of their young stars has helped the team to a 9-3-1 record.
Lines and Pairings
Devils
Forwards
Noesen-Hughes-Bratt
Meier-Hischier-Gritsyuk
Palat-Mercer-Brown
Cotter-Lammikko-Glendening
Defense
Dillon-Hughes
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Cholowski-Nemec
Goalies
Markstrom
Allen
Ducks
Forwards
Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky
Bolduc-Dach-Gallagher
Newhook-Kapanen-Demidov
Anderson-Evans-Veleno
Defense
Matheson-Dobson
Struble-Hutson
Xhekaj-Carrier
Goalies
Dobes
Montembeault
Keys to the Game
Hughes on Fire?
We’re just 13 games into the season, but Jack Hughes is off to one of the best starts to his career, and the best goal-scoring wise. Hughes has 10 goals in 13 games which is four more than his previous best start where Jack scored six goals in his first 13 games in 2023-24. That season was also Hughes’ best start to a season through 13 games points wise with 22, however, this year is not far behind with 16.
Overall it’s been an amazing start to the season for the former No. 1 overall pick.
The American on the Other Side
While Jack Hughes is having a great beginning to the year, he lineman with the U.S. Junior National Team is off to a just as if not more impressive start. Cole Caufield hit the 30 goal mark for the first time last season when he tallied 37 tucks and 70 total points in 82 games. This season, in just 13 games, Caufield has already totaled more than a quarter of his goal total from last year, matching Jack’s 10 in 13 games.
What has made it even more impressive has been his clutch ability. Five of his 10 goals this year have been either game tying or game winning goals, eight of his 10 have been game tying or go-ahead goals, and three overtime winning goals. Caufield’s three overtime winners this year have catapulted him into first place in team history, already, with 11 overtime goals. Howie Morenz and Max Pacioretty have 10. Caufield is certainly making a strong case for a spot on the 2026 US Olympic team.
Where to Watch:
Puck drop for Thursday night’s game is set for 7:00 pm ET and can be found on MSG SportsNet.