Overview
After their dominant 5-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, the New Jersey Devils will look to extend their winning streak even further against the Edmonton Oilers tonight. The Devils accomplished much when they won their 12th-straight game against Ottawa, but one accomplishment stands out.
With the win, New Jersey became the first team to sweep the Western Canadian and Eastern Canadian road trips in the same season. If they want to continue their supremacy over Canada, they’ll have to bring the same mentality that led to their first victory over Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s team earlier this year.
The surging Devils own a record of 15-3-0, good for first place in the Metropolitan Division and second in the league behind the Boston Bruins. On the other hand, the Oilers are 10-8-0 and sit fourth in the Pacific Division.
Lines and Pairings
Devils –
Forwards:
Tatar-Hischier-Zetterlund
Haula-Hughes-Bratt
Sharangovich-Boqvist-Mercer
Wood-McLeod-Bastian
Defense:
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Graves-Marino
Smith-Severson
Goalies:
Vanecek
Schmid
Oilers –
Forwards:
Janmark-McDavid-Hyman
Nugent Hopkins-Draisaitl-Foegele
Kostin-McLeod-Puljujarvi
Holloway-Shore-Ryan
Defense:
Nurse-Ceci
Kulak-Bouchard
Murray-Barrie
Goalies:
Campbell
Skinner
Keys to the Game
Red-Hot Hischier
One player who has stood out during this winning streak is Nico Hischier. Since the start of November, Hischier has five goals and ten points in nine games, including an assist in Ottawa. He also has a fantastic 59.43 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 66.13 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) during this span. Look for New Jersey’s captain to drive the offense tonight.
Historic Streak Hangs in the Balance
With the win on Saturday, the Devils’ winning streak is currently at 12 games. This mark is one shy of the franchise-record 13 consecutive wins set in the 2000-01 season. If they win Monday, they will tie this record and will tie for the fifth-longest all-time winning streak. The Devils are playing for more than just two points in the standings tonight.
Tonight’s game can be seen at 7:00 P.M. EST on MSGSN.