Looking to snap a two-game losing skid, the New Jersey Devils (8-3-0, 2nd Metropolitan) will face the Los Angeles Kings (5-3-4, 2nd Pacific) at Crypto.com Arena Saturday night.
Overview
After rattling off eight consecutive wins, the Devils have done a complete 180 in their last two. They lost an 8-4 blowout to Colorado on Tuesday and, most recently, a frustrating 5-2 loss against San Jose
Against San Jose, the Devils let the game get away from them in the first period, allowing three quick goals, including one from William Eklund in the opening minute. Dawson Mercer responded late in the first period with his first of two power-play goals, but the game was clearly in San Jose’s hands. They scored twice more in the second period to put the game out of reach, and another goal from Mercer didn’t move the needle. The Devils were competitive in the latter two periods, but their first-period performance sank them. They will look to get back in a groove in the third game of their West Coast road trip.
As for their opponent Saturday, the Kings have had a scrappy start to their season, but they enter Saturday with a decent record and are ready to pounce on a disoriented Devils team. They have been the pest of the NHL so far, taking seven of their 12 games to overtime. Los Angeles lost their most recent game in a shootout to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. They will look to play feisty hockey and maybe even take the Devils to a shootout, where they are notoriously weak.
Lines and Pairings
Devils-
Forwards
Noesen-Hughes-Bratt
Palat-Hischier-Gritsyuk
Meier-Lammikko-Mercer
Cotter-Glendening-Halonen
Defense
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Dillion-Hughes
Cholowski-Nemec
Goalies
Markstrom
Allen
Kings-
Forwards
Kuzmenko-Kopitar-Kempe
Fiala-Byfield-Perry
Laferriere-Danault-Armia
Malott-Turcotte
Defense
Dumoulin-Doughty
Edmundson-Clarke
Anderson-Ceci
Moverare
Goalies
Kuemper
Forsberg
Keys to the Game
Can Markström Bounce Back?
Jacob Markström is expected to tend the twine for New Jersey Saturday night in his second game back from a short injury. He had a rough go of it in his first game back, allowing eight goals on 42 shots for an .810 save percentage. Head coach Sheldon Keefe probably left him in to wear all those goals to get him back up to game speed. He can afford to punt a game like that in an 82-game season, but the Devils need Markström back to his usual form as he gets used to playing again.
General manager Tom Fitzgerald signed Markström to a two-year, $12 million extension yesterday, and the Devils will need his production back to justify that deal.
Devils’ Defense to Get Right
While the Devils’ high-flying offense has gotten a lot of attention to start the year, there was little they could do in response to 13 goals against over the last two games. Markström played a major role in the loss to Colorado, but the defense continued its poor run into the first two periods of Thursday’s game.
They allowed 11 high-danger chances over those first two periods, but rebounded to allow zero in the third period. They will need to take that momentum from the third period of the Sharks game into tonight’s contest.
Where to Watch
Tonight’s game can be seen on MSGSN at 9:00 pm ET.