After a well-played 4-3 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night, the New Jersey Devils (39-34-3, 7th Metropolitan) will have a rematch with the Canadiens (45-21-10, 2nd Atlantic) at the Bell Center Sunday.

Overview

Saturday night was an exciting start to this home-and-home split, with the Devils coming all the way back but falling short in the shootout. Montreal scored the game’s first three goals, coming off the sticks of Jayden Struble, Ivan Demidov, and Lane Hutson.

Down 3-0, the Devils made their move in the second and third periods, with Dawson Mercer, Jack Hughes, and Timo Meier scoring to tie the game. Though the Devils fell short, they played a tight game and were a match for Montreal. They’ll look to bring that same fight to Quebec Sunday.

Lines and Pairings

Devils-

Forwards

Meier-Hischier-Mercer

Bratt-Hughes-Brown

Hameenaho-Glass-Bjugstad

Cotter-McLaughlin-Halonen

Defense

Siegenthaler-Hamilton

Hughes-Kovacevic

Dillion-Nemec

Goalies

Markstrom

Allen

Canadiens-

Forwards

Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky

Newhook-Kapanen-Demidov

Bolduc-Evans-Anderson

Veleno-Danault-Gallagher

Defense

Matheson-Dobson

Struble-Hutson

Guhle-Xhekaj

Goalies

Fowler

Dobes

Keys to the Game

What Adjustments Will Teams Make?

Home-and-home series are always interesting because teams have the opportunity to learn from their experience from the first night and bring quick adjustments into the second game. The Devils will have to figure out a way to slow down the Danault line, which generated a 75.00 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and an 86.05 expected goal percentage (xG%) at five-on-five last night. 

The Canadiens will look for any way to stop Jack Hughes, who tallied another goal and assist Saturday. The ultra-skilled forward has lit up the league since he scored the gold-medal goal in Milan, and stopping him is the key to stopping this Devils team.

Where to Watch

Tonight’s game can be seen on MSGSN at 7:00 pm ET.