After a frustrating 3-0 shutout loss to the Kings to start the new year, the New Jersey Devils (24-14-3) will face the San Jose Sharks (12-23-6) at SAP Center this afternoon.

Overview

The Devils had an excellent month of December but have slumped recently with three straight losses to the Hurricanes, Ducks, and Kings. It seemed that nothing could go right over the past three games with some questionable calls and unlucky bounces. New Jersey will look to use today’s game against the lowly Sharks to get right and get some confidence back. This is easier said than done of course, as the Sharks did just beat them in November.

The Sharks, already struggling heavily, had a terrible December, going just 2-10-1 while losing the last eight games. They broke up that losing streak with a win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. Ahead of only the Chicago Blackhawks in the standings right now, the Sharks are playing for the draft but will look to play spoiler yet again for a New Jersey team they have haunted these past couple seasons.

Lines and Pairings

Devils’ Lines-

Forwards

Meier-Hischier-Noesen

Palat-Hughes-Bratt

Cotter-Haula-Mercer

Tatar-Lazar-Bastian

Defense

Dillion-Hamilton

Siegenthaler-Kovacevic

Hughes-Pesce

Goalies

Markstrom

Allen

Sharks’ Lines

Forwards

Costin-Grunland-Zetterlund

Graf-Celebrini-Smith

Kovalenko-Wennberg-Toffoli

Goodrow-Strum*-Kunin

Defense

Thrun-Ceci

Ferraro-Liljergan

Vlasic-Rutta

Goalies

Askarov

Georgiev

Keys to the Game

Offense Must Return to Form

New Jersey’s offense has found different ways to lose during this slump but it is primed to pop off against a weak Sharks’ squad. The Kings thoroughly outplayed the Devils defensively, holding them to 1.8 expected goals (xG) but the Devils managed to out-chance the Ducks and go toe-to-toe with the Hurricanes. The Devils’ offense needs to find a way to adapt to teams that have their number, and maybe get a bit of luck too.

Which Sharks Team Will We See?

The Devils’ recent history with the Sharks is not very pleasant. They lost to them in a 1-0 shootout earlier this year, and that isn’t the only bad loss they’ve had against San Jose in recent memory. They also lost a 6-3 game to the Sharks in December of 2023, though the Devils did trash them 7-2 later last season. Still, with a team like San Jose, teams expect a win every time. Granted, again, easier said then done.

Where to Watch

Today’s game can be seen on MSGSN at 4:00 pm ET.