The New Jersey Devils (21-15-2) take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (20-17-5) tonight to kick off a three-game road trip. Last time out, the Devils lost to the Canucks on Saturday while the Lightning defeated the Kings on Tuesday.
Both teams are in the hunt for a wild card spot at the moment. Tampa Bay currently holds the second wild card with 45 points while New Jersey is the first team outside the playoff picture with 44. However, the Lightning have played 42 games to the Devils’ 38, so the Devils rank ahead of the Lightning on points percentage.
Match Overview
The Devils have been hit hard by injuries in recent games and are noticeably shorthanded heading into this road trip. Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, Ondrej Palat, and Tomas Nosek are out for New Jersey.
Per Amanda Stein, Jack Hughes is being evaluated week-by-week while Timo Meier is the closest to returning, having just started skating, but he is still not back to practice. None are expected back in the short-term, per Stein.
Vitek Vanecek is expected to get the start in net tonight. This season he has posted a .884 save percentage and a -13.27 goals saved above expected (GSAx).
As for Tampa Bay, Mikhail Sergachev is on long-term injured reserve and out tonight. Tanner Jeannot is also out. As a result, forward Gage Goncalves is expected to make his NHL debut tonight.
Nikita Kucherov is leading the way for Tampa Bay this year. He leads the team with 28 goals, 39 assists, and 67 points. He leads the NHL in points as well. Victor Hedman leads Lightning defensemen with 39 points while Brayden Point’s 19 goals and 42 points rank second on the team.
Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to start tonight. After offseason surgery, the Russian netminder has played just 19 games, posting a .896 save percentage and a -2.35 GSAx.
Projected Lines
New Jersey Devils
Forwards
Haula – Hischier – Mercer
Toffoli – McLeod – Bratt
Tierney – Lazar – Holtz
Willman – Bowers – Bastian
Defensemen
Smith – Nemec
Hughes – Marino
Bahl – Miller
Goaltenders
Vanecek
Daws
Tampa Bay Lightning
Forwards
Stamkos – Point – Kucherov
Hagel – Cirelli – Paul
Goncalves – Motte – Sheary
Watson – Glendening – Eyssimont
Defensemen
Hedman – Raddysh
De Haan – Cernak
Lilleberg – Perbix
Goaltenders
Vasilevskiy
Johansson
What To Watch For
Nico Hischier
With several of the Devils’ top end skaters out, the captain is going to be asked to shoulder plenty of additional responsibility in the coming weeks.
Among New Jersey skaters to play at least 25 games this season, Hischier is fourth with a 57.24 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) at five-on-five. Hischier is also fifth among Devils’ skaters with a 53.74 high-danger chances for percentage (HDCF%).
Without Jack Hughes, Hischier is unquestionably the top center on the team, and the Devils will need him to keep up that level of play and then some in order to stack points during a difficult January schedule.
On the bright side, Hischier playing has been a key for New Jersey this year. The Devils went 4-7-0 in an 11 game stretch without Hischier earlier this year, but are 17-8-2 with him in the lineup, good for a 109 point pace.
Luke Hughes-John Marino Pairing
Without both Jonas Siegenthaler and Dougie Hamilton for the foreseeable future, Lindy Ruff is likely going to lean heavily on the pairing of Luke Hughes and John Marino.
So far this season, the pairing has played 127 minutes together at five-on-five and has played well. They have posted a 59.29 xGF% and a 54.72 HDCF%.
The pair also spent time together last postseason when Hughes drew into the lineup against Carolina. That also went well with the duo posting an outstanding 67.84 xGF% and a 60.00 HDCF% in 21 minutes at five-on-five.
Michael McLeod
Michael McLeod also needs to help pick up some of the slack with the injuries. The 25-year-old center has had a breakout year so far, ranking third on the team with a 57.59 xGF% at five-on-five.
With the multitude of injuries to the team, McLeod is bumping up to the top-six tonight, centering Jesper Bratt and Tyler Toffoli. If McLeod is able to keep up his strong play and generate offense alongside two of the Devils’ best point-producers, it will go a long way toward surviving this stretch with several top-end players out.
Where To Watch
Tonight’s game is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET on MSGSN.
Note: All statistics via Natural Stat Trick.