With just nine games to go in the regular season, the New Jersey Devils (38-28-7, 3rd Metropolitan) will face their most difficult remaining challenger in the Winnipeg Jets (49-19-4, 1st Central) at Canada Life Centre tonight.
Overview
The Jets have already clinched a playoff spot, and the Devils will likely find their way to the postseason. Both teams will use tonight’s game to jockey for position in their respective conferences. The Devils and Jets last played on March 7, with the Jets dominating New Jersey 6-1.
The Devils are coming off a decisive win over the bottom-feeding Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday. The offense showed up in droves en route to a 5-3 victory, though Jacob Markstrom looked shaky at times in goal. The win over Chicago broke up a three-game losing streak against the Flames, Senators, and the Canucks in the shootout. Though the Devils have a comfortable cushion on the Rangers and Islanders, they still have a lot of work to do to secure a playoff spot. That will be a challenge against the strongest Jets team we’ve seen in years.
The Jets are coming off a tight 4-3 overtime victory over their top-seeded counterpart in the East, the Washington Capitals. Though they’re 7-3-0 in their last ten games, the Jets have treaded water with a 3-2-0 record in their last five games, with all three wins coming in the extra period. They’ll need to beat a struggling New Jersey team convincingly to get hot before their postseason run.
Lines and Pairings
Devils-
Forwards
Palat-Hischier-Meier
Haula-Mercer-Bratt
Cotter-Dowling-Noesen
Tatar-Lazar-Bastian
Defense
Hughes-Pesce
Dumoulin-Kovacevic
Dillion-Nemec
Goalies
Markstrom
Allen
Jets-
Forwards
Connor-Scheifele-Iafallo
Ehlers-Lowry-Appleton
Niederreiter-Namestnikov-Perfetti
Tanev-Kupari-Barron
Defense
Morrissey-Demelo
Samberg-Schenn
Stanley-Miller
Goalies
Hellebuyck
Comrie
Keys to the Game
Goaltending Mismatch
When Jacob Markstrom’s in your net, no opposing goalie should be a mismatch, but that’s exactly what the Devils have on their hands tonight. Markstrom has struggled mightily since returning from injury, accruing an .847 save percentage (SV%) and -6.6 goals saved above expected (GSAx). That’s worrying, especially compared to the .910 SV% and 12.67 GSAx he put up before his injury.
He’s looked lost in his net since returning, struggling with rebound control and locating pucks, two of his key strengths before the injury. Jake Allen is a suitable backup, but the Devils cannot expect to beat Winnipeg, or go on any type of run for that matter, without a Jacob Markstrom at the top of his game.
The Devils won’t catch a break on the other end of the ice either with Connor Hellebuyck, the best goalie in the world, in net. The American netminder has had an astounding season to this point, earning a .924 SV% and 42.79 GSAx through 55 games. He’s the runaway favorite to win the Vezina Trophy and will give the Devils trouble tonight, especially with a shaky situation at their end of the ice.
Luke Hughes Feasts
The Devils got goals from all four lines in their win over Chicago, and the man to thank for that is Luke Hughes. Hughes was a playmaking machine on Wednesday, notching three assists, two of which were primaries, on the goals from Dawson Mercer and Nathan Bastian.
The Bastian assist was particularly brilliant. Hughes glided high in the zone with the puck, switched directions on a dime to lose his defender, motored deep into the zone, and sent the puck on a rope at a sharp angle to Bastian, who was waiting in front of the net to tap it in. With more than a few key pieces down, Hughes has to be the driver of the offense from the blue line like he was on Wednesday.
Where to Watch
Friday night’s game can be seen on MSGSN at 8:00 pm ET.