Overview

After a dominant 6-2 win over the Ottawa Senators Friday night, the New Jersey Devils (19-13-2) will look for their fourth-straight win against the Boston Bruins (20-7-6) tonight at TD Garden.

Last night was a much-needed complete effort from New Jersey after two scrappy wins against Detroit and Columbus. The Devils have had a good month of December, going 8-4-1, but have also faced adversity, enduring a three-game losing streak and occasionally looking shaky even when they won. Now, they will face the Bruins for the second time this month in the final game of 2023; another test against the class of the Eastern Conference.

The Devils are in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division with 40 points. The Bruins lead the Atlantic and the Eastern Conference with 46 points.

Lines and Pairings

Devils-

Forwards

Toffoli-Hughes-Bratt

Palat-Hischier-Haula

Meier-McLeod-Mercer

Bastian-Tierney-Holtz

Defense

Siegenthaler-Nemec

Hughes-Marino

Bahl-Smith

Goalies

Vanecek

Daws

Bruins-

Forwards

Zacha-Geekie-Pastrnak

Marchand-Coyle-Debrusk

Van Riemsdyk-Merkulov-Frederic

Heinen-Beecher-Lauko

Defense

Lohrei-McAvoy

Lindholm-Carlo

Wotherspoon-Shattenkirk

Goalies

Ullmark

Swayman

Keys to the Game

Mercer Heating Up

After a worrying start to the year, Dawson Mercer is stepping up at a critical moment for New Jersey. He went without a point in October but now has ten goals and 18 points in 34 games, a reasonable 42-point pace.

He hit his stride in late December, scoring three goals and six points in his last four games. He’s developed great chemistry with his linemates, Michael McLeod and Timo Meier, creating a fearsome unit. Meier, especially, has looked better as of late playing with Mercer. Mercer can be a hot and cold player, but look for him to stay hot tonight.

Back-to-Back Blues

Tonight is the latter half of this back-to-back road stretch, a tough draw for New Jersey. They’ve been disappointing in the second game of back-to-back series this year, going 1-3-1. It won’t be any easier tonight against the top team in the Eastern Conference.

The Devils also got unlucky this year with 13 doubleheaders, the most of any NHL team this season. They’ll need to learn how to win some of these games to stay competitive in a tight playoff race.

Where to Watch

Tonight’s game can be seen on MSGSN at 7:00 p.m. EST.