New Jersey Devils Head to Calgary After Loss Against Vancouver

Last night, the New Jersey Devils returned to action for the first time since Saturday’s shootout. They began their Western trip against the Vancouver Canucks. Down 2-0 early, the Devils were able to battle back and tie it up at two goals apiece. However, Vancouver pulled away as goaltender Nico Daws was pulled for Jon Gillies. The Devils would end up losing to the Canucks, who are still fighting for a playoff spot, 6-3.

The Devils return to action tonight, yet the task in front of them is even tougher. This because they face the surging Calgary Flames. Under head coach Darryl Sutter the Flames have risen to the top of the Western Conference. Their main weapon is the smothering offense, a rarity of Daryl Sutter coached teams that usually rely on defense. Just look at this cup winning teams with the Los Angeles Kings.

For his work in Calgary, Sutter is the seemingly favorite for the Jack Adams Award for the NHL’s best coach. The Flames are also lead by pending unrestricted free agent Johnny Gaudreau. Gaudreau is fourth in the NHL with 78 points as the Flames seek to re-sign him to a new contract.

Players To Watch

Andrew Mangiapane:

Instead of focusing on the usual suspect of Gaudreau, let’s take a look at Mangiapane. The player that sounds like a Sopranos character has 29 goals, and is on the route to the first 30 goal season of his young NHL career. Interestingly enough, Mangiapane has been finding the back of the net more on the road than at the Calgary Saddledome. Only 17 of his 43 point have come at home.

Dougie Hamilton:

Dougie Hamilton returns to the team he called home from 2015-2018. Unfortunately for the Devils, Hamilton has been pointless since scoring the overtime winner against the St. Louis Blues back on march 6^th. Maybe he’ll show his old home fans a bit of what their missing?

Dawson Mercer:

Dawson Mercer had a two point game the last time these teams met all the way back at the beginning of the season. The rookie had one goal and one assist in a 5-3 Calgary victory. Pavel Zacha had two goals against the Calgary Flames that game, but his status remains questionable. This after going hard into the boards and leaving last night’s game.

Keys To The Game

Goaltender Matchup:

Nico Daws has been an absolute workhorse, and a pleasant surprise for this Devils team. With a back-to-back on the road you had to expect Gillies would start one of these games. After being pulled for Gillies, the starting goaltender situation for Wednesday’s game isn’t exactly clear. If Gillies gets the start, having a goaltender with a 3.70 goals against average go against a team that averages 3.42 goals per game (6^th in the NHL) isn’t exactly a recipe for success.

Will Siegenthaler Return:

The loss of Jonas Siegenthaler was a huge blow for the Devils’ defense. Colton White entered the lineup and played 16:18 in his place. Siegenthaler took warmups, so maybe there’s a chance he can come back for Wednesday’s game. If he doesn’t, the Devils should do everything to stay off the penalty kill. The Flames power play is near the NHL’s top ten at 23.4% and Siegenthaler has a huge presence on the Devils’ first unit of the penalty kill.

Posses the Puck:

One of the reasons a defensive-minded coach has had so much success with the offensively gifted Calgary Flames is how they possess the puck. The more they have the puck in the hands of a goal scorer, they less they have to worry about defending. If the Devils can find ways to keep possessing the puck they might be able to disrupt Calgary’s game plan.

Projected Lineups

Calgary Flames

You can check out the Flames’ projected lineup via this link.