Thursday night, the New Jersey Devils look to keep the good times going by defeating the Calgary Flames. The Devils won their most recent outing on Monday, defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road 2-1.
The Devils are currently 37-26-6, which currently has them third in the Metropolitan division. The Flames hold a record of 31-25-11, which has them fifth in the Pacific Division.
Match Overview
The Devils have hit a bit of a groove as of late, winning three of their last four games. The Flames, on the other hand, have been cold recently, losing three of their last four. They did, however, win their most recent outing on the road against the New York Rangers.
The team as a whole has been a pleasant surprise to their fans, who were most likely expecting the team to be largely uncompetitive this season. As of right now though, the Flames find themselves just two points out of the final wild card spot with a game in hand on the Vancouver Canucks.
The Devils have, of course, been decimated by injuries, currently being without three of their best players. The Flames aren’t without struggles of their own however. Free agent signing Anthony Mantha is out for the remainder of the year after tearing his ACL in November. On top of that, Flames captain Mikael Backlund will be out for some time after suffering an upper-body injury last week in Vancouver.
The Flames shutout the Devils 3-0 back in early November in what was an ugly performance by New Jersey. Hopefully, with the power of Mrs. Fields and the home crowd on their side, the team can rectify that performance.
Lines and Pairings
Devils
Head coach Sheldon Keefe noted that he was going to shuffle the lines for tonight’s game, but didn’t give any specifics as to how that would play out. Jacob Markstrom is the probable starter in net.
Check out our social media pages for full lines just before puck drop.
Flames
Forwards
Zary-Kadri-Pospisil
Huberdeau-Frost-Coronato
Farabee-Sharangovich-Coleman
Lomberg-Rooney-Klapka
Defense
Hanley-Weegar
Bahl-Andersson
Bean-Miromanov
Goalies
Wolf
Vladar
Keys to the Game
Markstrom Getting Back on Track
Jacob Markstrom came back from injury just under three weeks ago on March 2. That night, in Vegas, the Devils lost 2-0, but Markstrom played solid, making 22 saves on 24 shots. Since then? It’s been really bad from the veteran netminder.
Of goaltenders with at least 100 minutes of ice time since March 3, Markstrom ranks dead last with a save percentage (sv%) of .806 and goals saved above expected (GSAx) of -7.63, according to Evolving Hockey.
Hopefully, Markstrom can return to form against his former team, something he failed to do in November. If the Devils can get the Markstrom they had pre-injury back, he and Allen automatically become one of the best goaltending duos in hockey.
Former Devils Come to Town
The Flames have quite a few former Devils to check on. Blake Coleman signed in Calgary during the summer of 2021 and has been his same two-way self since. Coleman even hit the 30 goal mark for the first time in his career last season. Yegor Sharangovich also managed to hit the 30 goal mark last season, which led to him signing a massive extension in Calgary that kicks in this offseason. Unfortunately, for the Flames, Sharangovich has massively regressed, only being on pace for 15 goals this season.
Kevin Rooney has found a role as a bottom-six piece for the Flames the past few seasons, and is in line to play Thursday. Lastly, Kevin Bahl makes his return to the Prudential Center. The big defenseman who was part of the Markstrom trade has played a much bigger role in Calgary. Bahl has set career highs in goals, assists, points, and time one ice per game in just 58 games this season.
Where To Watch
Thursday night’s game can be seen on MSG Sports 2. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 pm ET from the Prudential Center.