Devils Face Hurricanes With First Place Up For Grabs

Ryan Graves turns away from a trailing Hurricanes defender to skate the puck away from trouble.
Ryan Graves (red, 33) skates with the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes last season. (Photo by Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

The New Jersey Devils (21-8-2) hit the road to battle the Carolina Hurricanes (19-6-6) tonight in Raleigh. First place in the Metropolitan Division is on the line with both the Devils and Hurricanes even at 44 points.

The two teams come into the contest heading in opposite directions. New Jersey has dropped five straight while Carolina has won five in a row. This is the first meeting of the year between the division rivals.

Match Overview

New Jersey Devils

As noted above, the Devils are on a slide while the Hurricanes are red hot. The five-game losing streak is the longest of the year for the Devils.

During the losing streak, New Jersey is averaging just 2.2 goals per contest. The Devils have scored three goals in a game just twice during that span. In the past three contests, New Jersey has scored below their expected-goals value. Defensively, the Devils rebounded after allowing a season-worst six goals to the Islanders to start the five-game skid.

On the injury front, Mackenzie Blackwood was activated from his conditioning stint on Monday, meaning he is active tonight for the first time since early November. Akira Schmid was sent back down to Utica as a result. Expect Blackwood to play one of the two games on this back-to-back. For the season, Blackwood has a .880 save percentage and a -2.36 GSAx.

Carolina Hurricanes

Meanwhile, Martin Necas is currently leading Carolina in points. The 23-year-old center has 30 points in 31 games. It’s been a true breakout season thus far for Necas. His current 0.96 point-per-game pace is well above his 0.77 points-per-game pace from 2020-2021. Former second overall pick Andrei Svechnikov leads the Canes in goals with 17. 

Center Sebastian Aho has been out of the lineup since December 6 with a lower-body injury. However, on Sunday, Coach Rod Brind’Amour said Aho was nearing a return. If he does get back into the lineup tonight, the former second round pick is always dangerous. For the year, Aho has 27 points in just 26 games.

On the backend, offseason acquisition Brent Burns leads Carolina with 22 points. Elsewhere, Jaccob Slavin is among the league’s best defensive defensemen. In net, Pyotr Kochetkov has taken over the starter’s net and been superb with Frederik Andersen on injured reserve. In 14 games, the 23-year-old has posted a .923 save percentage and a 6.56 GSAx. At the end of last season, Kochetkov debuted in the NHL, winning all three games he appeared in, including one against the Devils.

Brent Burns (left), Pyotr Kochetkov (center), and Martin Necas (right) celebrate a Hurricanes win earlier this season. (via @Canes / Twitter)

Projected Lines

New Jersey Devils –

Forwards:

Tatar-Hischier-Zetterlund

Haula-Hughes-Bratt

Wood-McLeod-Boqvist

Sharangovich-Mercer-Holtz

Defensemen:

Siegenthaler-Hamilton

Graves-Marino

Smith-Severson

Goaltenders:

Vanecek

Blackwood

Carolina Hurricanes –

Forwards:

Svechnikov-Stastny-Necas

Teravainen-Kotkaniemi-Jarvis

Martinook-Staal-Fast

Noesen-Drury-Stepan

Defensemen:

Slavin-Burns

Skjei-Pesce

de Haan-Chatfield

Goaltenders:

Kochetkov

Raanta

What to Watch For

Jesper Bratt

After a scorching hot start to the season, Jesper Bratt has hit a bit of a rough patch of his own. The Swedish winger has not registered a point in the last four contests. In that same span, the Devils have managed just one point out of a possible eight. Of course, that is not overly shocking given Bratt is second of the team in scoring and his offense is a major part of the Devils’ early season success.

However, Bratt has still played well during this mini-slump. Over these past four games, he is top three among New Jersey skaters in both Corsi-for percentage and expected goals-for percentage at even strength.

The chances have been there for Bratt, he and his linemates just need to capitalize on more of them. With first place on the line tonight, it would be a great night to get back on track in the finishing department.

Jesper Bratt (center) celebrates scoring a goal against Chicago with Jack Hughes (left) and Dawson Mercer (right). (via @NJDevils / Twitter).

Devils’ Third Defense Pairing

Sam Kasan reported that at Monday’s practice, Damon Severson was back on the third pair alongside Brendan Smith after being a healthy scratch on Saturday. Severson was scratched after a rough turnover led to a Flyers game-winning goal on Thursday.

In the loss on Saturday, Kevin Bahl played just over 11 minutes of ice time, so it makes sense to see Severson back in the lineup. After all, the Devils third pair has played well all season, but it has been rockier the past two games.

Smith, Severson, and Bahl are the top three Devils’ defensemen in terms of CF% at five-on-five and are all in the top four in xGF% for the year. However, Smith had the lowest xGF% on the team on Saturday at just 26.07. Bahl was fourth-worst at 38.22.

Facing one of the elite teams in the league, it would be a great time for a bounce back game.

Which Team Can Dictate Play?

Besides being among the best in the league in points percentage, the Devils and Hurricanes are both elite at driving play. At even strength, both New Jersey and Carolina rank one-two in CF% and xGF%.

All season, so much of the Devils success can be attributed to controlling the tempo of the game and out-chancing their opponents. However, that will be a difficult task against Carolina, especially with the Hurricanes having last change at home. If New Jersey can control the flow of the game, it will be a good sign that the overall play of the team is heading in the right direction.

Where to Watch

MSGSN will televise the Devils and Hurricanes. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET at PNC Arena.

Note: All statistics via Natural Stat Trick.

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