After a mediocre start to the season, the New Jersey Devils (4-4-0, 5th Metropolitan) will host the Colorado Avalanche (5-2-1, 3rd Central) at the Prudential Center Tuesday night.
Overview
The Devils are coming off a stinging 4-2 defeat to the Washington Capitals on Saturday. It was a game they were largely in control of, except for a disastrous second period in which the Capitals scored three unanswered goals to put it out of reach.
It was a fall back to Earth for the Devils, who have struggled to finish their scoring chances despite strong possession numbers. Those underlying numbers look very solid so far; at five-on-five, they lead the league in Corsi-for percentage (CF%) at 62.45 and expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) at 64.26. The Devils are hoping that they can convert that possession dominance into scoreboard dominance against the Avalanche.
The Avalanche are the first of eight Western Conference teams the Devils will play in their next eight games, and Colorado will be one of New Jersey’s toughest opponents over this stretch. They’re coming off a 3-2 defeat to the Philadelphia Flyers Monday night, and will travel up I-95 for the second leg of their back-to-back Tuesday.
The short turnaround might bite Colorado against a well-rested Devils team that hasn’t played since Saturday. Of course, a team with the second most goals per game and featuring superstars like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar can certainly find a way to wake up and out-punch the Devils.
Lines and Pairings
Devils
Forwards
Gritsyuk-Hughes-Bratt
Meier-Hischier-Mercer
Mantha-Rodrigues-Noesen
Lombardi-Glass-Boqvist
Defense
Hughes-Pesce
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Chisholm-Kovacevic
Goalies
Allen
Daws
Avalanche
Forwards
Lehkonen-MacKinnon-Necas
Landeskog-Nelson-Kadri
Schwartz-Svechkov-Hughes
Kelly-Brindley
Defense
Toews-Makar
Kulak-Malinski
Manson-Burns
Juulsen
Goalies
Wedgewood
Blackwood
Keys to the Game
Colorado Banged Up
The Avalanche are only carrying 11 forwards with them on this road trip, with depth forwards Zachary L’Heureux, Nic Roy, and Logan O’Connor out with injury. They’ll be short-handed on offense as a result, and head coach Jared Bednar will have to get creative with his lines. Colorado will carry seven defenseman as a result of the injuries, with Noah Juulsen in line for the extra ice time.
Devils’ Lackluster Goaltending
New Jersey’s weakest position group this season has certainly been its goaltenders. Their starter, Jake Allen, has stumbled to a .879 save percentage through five starts, while his backup, Nico Daws, has a .859 save percentage through three games. The duo has combined for -4.46 goals saved above expected (GSAx).
The goalies were the Devils’ biggest question mark heading into this season, and the answer isn’t looking good through the first eight games of the season. General manager Sunny Mehta expressed confidence in his goaltenders ahead of the season, and seems unwilling to part with premium assets to improve such a risky position. For now, he and the Devils will have to hope that Allen can start to turn his season around with a strong showing against a star-powered Avs team tonight.
Where to Watch
Tonight’s game can be seen on MSG in-market and ESPN+ out of market at 7:00 pm ET.