Tonight, the New Jersey Devils look for a second-straight win against the Calgary Flames. The Devils are five points out of a wild card spot with two games in hand on the Detroit Red Wings. They also sit five points out of third in the Metropolitan division with three games in hand on the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flames are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games including a win in Boston on Tuesday.

The Devils are 25-20-3, good enough for sixth in the Metro. The Flames hold a record of 23-22-5, which has them sixth in the Pacific division.

Match Overview

These two teams met earlier this season in Calgary where the Devils defeated the Calgary Flames 4-2 backed by multi-point efforts from Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt. 

Last season the two teams played a rare home-and-home where the Devils took both matchups by a goal. They won 4-3 on the road in overtime and 3-2 at home. Fabian Zetterlund, who is no longer on the team, and Nico Hischier scored the game winning goals in those games. Before the past three games against Calgary, the Devils had lost eight in a row against the Flames dating back to 2017.

It appears New Jersey are set to get a huge boost to the lineup tonight. Jack Hughes participated in line rushes alongside Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Holtz at the morning practice. Hughes himself confirmed he’d be in the lineup tonight after practice.

As for the Flames, Calgary has arguably the best goaltender in the NHL this season tending the goal. Jacob Markström holds a .913 save percentage this year but leads the league in goals saved above expected at a staggering 28.14.

Lines and Pairings

Devils

Forwards

Palat-Hischier-Bratt

Toffoli-Hughes-Holtz

Meier-Haula-Mercer

Nosek-Lazar-Bastian

Defense

Bahl-Nemec

Hughes-Marino

Hatakka-Miller

Goalies

Vanecek

Daws

Flames

Forwards

Huberdeau-Sharangovich-Kuzmenko

Zary-Kadri-Pospisil

Mangiapane-Backlund-Coleman

Pelletier-Rooney-Duehr

Defense

Hanifin-Tanev

Weegar-Andersson

Kylington-Pachal

Goalies

Markstrom

Vladar

Keys to the Game

Time Heals all Wounds

The subheader above is a cliche but in this case it is certainly true. Even after the All-Star break the Devils were without Jack Hughes, Brendan Smith, Jonas Siegenthaler, Nolan Foote, and Dougie Hamilton. 

While Hamilton will most likely be out still for some time the other four have been skating together. Hughes even skated with the rest of the team on Sunday and Monday. There is optimism he could play tonight, and that Smith and Siegenthaler aren’t far behind. A trade acquisition and health could really help this team turn things up a notch.

It’s Getting Easier

Following a really tough five game stretch before and coming out of break against Dallas, Vegas, Carolina, Tampa, and Colorado, the Devils schedule should get easier. The Devils now have the 11th hardest strength of schedule the rest of the way which should go down even more after playing the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. 

It’s going to be a long few months for Devils fans, but hopefully a schedule that gets easier will make things go down smoother.

Where To Watch

Tonight’s game at the Prudential Center is set for a 7:00 pm ET puck drop. The game can be seen on MSG SportsNet.