The New Jersey Devils (2-0-0) host the Toronto Maple Leafs (0-1-0) on Thursday night in the home opener. New Jersey swept a back-to-back against the Buffalo Sabres in Prague last weekend while Toronto fell 1-0 in Montreal on Wednesday. This is the first time New Jersey head coach Sheldon Keefe will face his former club.
Match Overview
Ondrej Palat is once again active for New Jersey after being on paternity leave for the second game in Prague. Per Amanda Stein, Luke Hughes was skating in a non-contact jersey in Tuesday’s practice and Brett Pesce was in a regular jersey. However, both missed Wednesday’s practice and neither are expected to be in the lineup.
Jacob Markstrom was in the starter’s net and is expected to play against Toronto. In his Devils debut, Markstrom stopped 30 of 31 shots including a save of the year contender. He turned aside 2.61 goals above expected.
As for Toronto, the Leafs were stymied by Sam Montembault in their season opener. Despite getting 48 shots on net, Toronto could not solve the Montreal netminder, losing 1-0. Toronto actually generated 5.82 expected goals, so there is no reason to panic north of the border.
However, Toronto is facing some questions in net. Goaltender Joseph Woll was placed on injured reserve hours before the opener, ruling him out for at least three games. Veteran Anthony Stolarz played on Wednesday, stopping 26 of 27 shots. His backup is Dennis Hildeby, a 23-year-old who posted a .913 save percentage in 41 AHL games last season. Head coach Craig Berube has not announced a starter as of yet.
Projected Lines
New Jersey Devils
Forwards
Meier – Hughes – Bratt
Tatar – Hischier – Mercer
Palat – Haula – Noesen
Cotter – Lazar – Bastian
Defensemen
Dillon – Hamilton
Siegenthaler – Kovacevic
Nemec – Casey
Goaltenders
Markstrom
Allen
Toronto Maple Leafs
Forwards
Knies – Matthews – Marner
Domi – Tavares – Nylander
Pacioretty – Holmberg – Robertson
Lorentz – Kampf – Reaves
Defensemen
Rielly – Tanev
Ekman-Larsson – McCabe
Benoit – Timmins
Goaltenders
Stolarz
Hildeby
What To Watch For
Hamilton-Dillon Pairing
To start the year, head coach Sheldon Keefe has deployed a top pairing of Dougie Hamilton and Brenden Dillon, and it has provided immediate results. Through two contests, the duo has logged over 26 minutes of time at five-on-five, posting a 52.86 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 60.35 expected goals for percentage (xGF%). The Devils have also had an edge in scoring chances and high-danger scoring chances with that pairing on the ice.
Paul Cotter
Paul Cotter was involved in one of the most notable offseason moves general manager Tom Fitzgerald made, being acquired from Vegas for Alexander Holtz. Cotter scored the game-winning goal on Saturday.
It has been an interesting start for Cotter, who has predominantly played with Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian in the bottom-six. Despite having just a 38.64 CF% at five-on-five, a measure purely of shots taken, the Devils have done a great job of controlling shot quality with Cotter on the ice, as evidenced by his 69.66 xGF%. Only his linemate Nathan Bastian has been better through two games. Moreover, with Cotter on the ice, the Devils hold a 7-2 edge in high-danger chances.
Simon Nemec
It has been a slow start for Simon Nemec, playing with rookie Seamus Casey. Through two contests, Nemec’s 35.84 xGF% is the lowest among Devils’ skaters to play both games. It is still super early and there is no reason to panic, but head coach Sheldon Keefe may have to consider tweaking his bottom pair if it does not improve.
Where To Watch
Tonight’s game is on MSG with puck drop set for 7:00 pm from the Prudential Center.
Note: All statistics via Natural Stat Trick.