The New Jersey Devils (18-10-3) host the Los Angeles Kings (17-8-3) on Thursday night. Both teams last played on Tuesday, with New Jersey falling 2-1 in overtime to Toronto, while the Kings downed the Islanders 3-1. The Devils have lost two straight contests, but sit second in the Metropolitan Division. This is the first of two meetings between the Devils and Kings this season.

Match Overview

Nathan Bastian returned to the lineup on Tuesday against Toronto. He is expected to be back in the lineup against Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Jake Allen picked up an upper-body injury on Sunday against Colorado. Per Matt Loughlin, it is not expected that Allen will be out long-term, but Ian Poulter will serve as the backup to Jacob Markstrom for a second straight game.

On the season, Markstrom has posted a .906 save percentage and a 1.78 goals saved above expected (GSAx).

As for the Kings, Los Angeles is one of the best defensive teams in the league. The Kings give up just 2.54 goals per game, the third-best mark in the league. This could present a challenge for a Devils team that has scored just four goals over the current three-game homestand. L.A. also enters on six-game win streak, currently the best in the NHL.

Veteran Anze Kopitar leads the Kings with 32 points in 28 games. Adrian Kempe is also a point-per-game player with 28 points in 28 contests. He also has a team-leading 14 goals. New Jersey-native Alex Laferriere is second on L.A. with 12 goals while Brandt Clarke leads the defnsemen with 16 points.

Notably, the Kings will be without Drew Doughty. The 35-year-old defensemen fractured his ankle during the preseason and is still on injured reserve. Trevor Lewis and Arthur Kaliyev are also on injured reserve for Los Angeles.

In net, the Kings have split games fairly evenly between David Rittich and Darcy Kuemper, although Kuemper is expected to play tonight. On the season, Kuemper has a .907 save percentage and a 1.28 GSAx. Rittich has posted a .891 save percentage and a -5.01 GSAx.

Projected Lines

New Jersey 

Forwards

Meier – Hischier – Mercer

Palat – Hughes – Bratt

Cotter – Haula – Noesen

Bastian – Dowling – Tatar

Defensemen

Dillon – Hamilton

Hughes – Pesce

Siegenthaler – Kovacevic

Goaltenders

Markstrom

Poulter

Los Angeles

Forwards

Moore – Kopitar – Kempe

Foegele – Byfield – Jeannot

Fiala – Danault – Laferriere

Turcotte – Helenius – Burroughs

Defensemen

Anderson – Gavrikov

Edmundson – Clarke

Moverare – Spence

Goaltenders

Kuemper

Rittich

What To Watch For

Dillon-Hamilton Pairing

Since the start of December, the pairing of Brendan Dillon and Dougie Hamilton have dominated the run of play at five-on-five. Both have posted expected goals-for percentages (xGF%) north of 67.00, the best among Devils’ defensemen. Dillon actually leads all skaters with a 69.63 xGF%.

Dillon also leads the team in terms of high-danger chance shares. His 17-6 edge in high-danger chances while on the ice translates to 73.91%. This leads all skaters as well. Hamilton is not far behind at 65.22%.

The Fourth Line

Nathan Bastian drew back into the lineup on Tuesday, skating with Justin Dowling and Tomas Tatar on the fourth line. The trio had a very small sample size of 4:19 seconds of five-on-five ice time, but played very well. The line posted a 98.56 xGF% and a 5-1 edge in scoring chances. High-danger chances were 2-0 New Jersey with the fourth line on the ice.

Again, this is an extremely small sample size, but Tatar and Dowling have put up encouraging numbers throughout December. Tatar is third among Devils’ skaters with a 68.67 xGF% while Dowling is fourth with a 67.73 xGF% at five-on-five.

Tonight will be another chance to see if head coach Sheldon Keefe may have found something in his bottom six to provide the Devils with a spark from down the lineup.

Special Teams

The Devils’ power play has been ice cold since converting twice in the 5-1 win over the Rangers last week. New Jersey is 0-for-9 on this three-game homestand. However, the Devils still lead the league with a 31.3% power play. 

Getting on-track will be crucial against an elite defensive Kings team. Despite holding opponents to just 2.54 goals per game, Los Angeles has been middle of the pack on the penalty kill. The Kings are 14th in the NHL with an 80.4% penalty kill. Converting with the extra man will be crucial for the Devils in what should be a tight contest.

On the other side of the ice, the Kings’ power play sits 28th in the league at just 16.7%. The New Jersey penalty kill needs to be effective and ensure the Devils win the special teams battle.

Where To Watch

The Devils and Kings will be on MSGSN with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.

Note: All statistics via Natural Stat Trick.