Overview
After a rollercoaster loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, the New Jersey Devils are set to take on the Vancouver Canucks in an inter-conference matchup tonight. The Devils have been frustrating to watch as of late, and it seems that they are in the dog days of the season. The main contributor to New Jersey’s woes has been sub-par goaltending, which undoubtedly led to Friday’s 8-5 loss. With goaltender Nico Daws expected in the cage, the Devils will look to right the ship against the mediocre Canucks.
The hapless Devils hold a record of 18-29-5 and sit in dead last in the Metropolitan Division. The Canucks, on the other hand, own a record of 25-22-6 and are in sixth place in the Pacific Division.
Projected Lines and Pairings
Devils’ Lines
Forwards:
Sharangovich-Hughes-Mercer
Zacha-Hischier-Bratt
Johnsson-Boqvist-Tatar
Vesey-McLeod-Bastian
Defense:
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Graves-Severson
White-Subban
Goalies:
Daws
Gillies
Canucks’ Lines
Forwards:
Podkolzin-Horvat-Boeser
Hoglander-Petterson-Chiasson
Pearson-Miller-Garland
Motte-Lammikko-Highmore
Defense:
Ekman Larsson-Myers
Hughes-Schenn
Hunt-Hamonic
Goalies:
Halak
Demko
Keys to the Game
As Always, Goaltending
As mentioned above, New Jersey’s goaltending has been a major disappointment this season. With six different goalies suiting up this year, the Devils have allowed 3.6 goals per game, 30th in the league. All together the team has posted a combined .884 save percentage (SV%). On top of that, according to Evolving Hockey, no Devil netminder has a positive Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx), with starter MacKenzie Blackwood posting an abysmal -11.73. It’s no wonder that New Jersey is looking for goalies on the trade market. Hopefully, the Devils’ goaltending issues won’t cost them a win tonight.
Looming Deadline
Speaking of the trade market, the NHL’s trade deadline is approaching quickly, meaning the rumor mill is churning once again. Obviously, the Devils should be looking for goalies, but the real question is who will they trade away?
Some notable players that may be on the trade block are pending unrestricted free agents P.K. Subban and Jimmy Vesey, but as of now, nothing has materialized as evidenced by the fact that they are expected to play tonight. Pavel Zacha, a pending restricted free agent, is also a name to watch. On the other hand, another piece that could be moved is the struggling Ty Smith, who Amanda Stein reports to be on the bench tonight. The young defenseman is having a less-than-stellar year with just 13 points in 44 games thus far.
Tonight’s game can be seen on MSG+ at 7:30 pm.