Overview
After a forgettable 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers yesterday, the New Jersey Devils (44-18-7) will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (42-22-6) in Tampa in the second game of a back-to-back. It’s the third time this week the Devils are playing Tampa, and they’ll be looking for a different result than the last two, a loss and a shootout loss. While they wouldn’t have passed the test with flying colors, a New Jersey win today will signal a tie in this mock playoff series.
The Devils sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division, just three points behind the Carolina Hurricanes, whom they’ve been jockeying with all season. The Lightning are in third in the Atlantic Division, three points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Lines and Pairings
Devils –
Forwards
Tatar-Hischier-Mercer
Palat-Hughes-Bratt
Meier-Haula-Boqvist
Sharangovich-McLeod-Lazar
Defense
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Graves-Marino
Smith-Severson
Goalies
Vanecek
Schmid
Panthers –
Forwards
Hagel-Point-Kucherov
Killorn-Cireli-Jeannot
Colton-Stamkos-Paul
Eyssimont-Bellemare-Perry
Defense
Hedman-Bogosian
Sergachev-Raddysh
Cole-Cerank
Goalies
Vasilevsky
Elliot
Keys to the Game
Is Vitek Reliable?
Over the past month and a half, Vitek Vanecek has struggled mightily in net. Since the All-Star break, he’s posted a paltry .887 save percentage (SV%) and -7.81 goals saved above expected (GSAx). He had a fantastic shutout win over the Carolina Hurricanes to boost his confidence but posted a .867 SV% in the next game.
Akira Schmid has been carrying much of the workload Vanecek used to take, but, with Schmid having started yesterday, the Devils will have to start Vanecek. New Jersey has lost three straight, and they need to win the rubber match with Tampa to prove they’re playoff-ready. The only question is, is Vitek Vaneck up to the challenge?
Get the Lead, Don’t Give it Up
Last night, the Devils got outplayed in the first and second periods, no question about that. During this stretch, they posted expected goal percentages (xG%) of 32.19 and 40.23 respectively. The thing was though, they were leading 2-0 after two periods. That lead melted away quickly in the third, with the Panthers scoring three goals in rapid succession.
The Devils did actually control possession in the third period, posting a 67.39 xG%, but couldn’t hold onto their lead. This, though, was largely due to New Jersey’s late flurry at the end of the period, when they were trailing.
New Jersey will have to play tighter defense if they want to stop an offensive onslaught from the Lightning, especially with a struggling goaltender getting the nod.
Tonight’s game can be seen on MSGSN at 7:00 PM EST.