Overview
After a defeat to the New York Rangers that began with a full-on line brawl on Wednesday, the New Jersey Devils (36-36-4) will take on the Ottawa Senators (33-38-4) at the Canadian Tire Centre tonight. Both teams have fallen out of contention and the only thing really on the line tonight is draft positioning.
The Devils have lost three-straight games against the Sabres, Penguins, and Rangers, killing their slim playoff hopes on the vine. Right now, they’re looking to build some momentum to carry them into the offseason and, hopefully, to a better season in 2024-25.
The Senators are in a similar position. Coincidentally, they also had a major scrap in their game against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. Just after clearing the puck to seal the game for Minnesota, Brady Tkachuk threw a huge cross-check on Jonas Brodin, causing Brock Faber to join the fray. Most recently, the Florida Panthers dominated the Sens 6-0 on Thursday.
The Devils are in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division with 76 points, seven points behind the Flyers for the final wild-card spot and the Islanders for third place in the division. They have just a 0.7% chance of making the playoffs, according to Moneypuck. The Senators are in seventh place in the Atlantic Division with 70 points.
Lines and Pairings
Devils-
Forwards
Meier-Hischier-Bratt
Hughes-Haula-Holtz
Palat-Nosek-Mercer
MacDermid-Tierney-Lazar
Defense
Hughes-Smith
Bahl-Marino*
Siegenthaler-Nemec
Goalies
Allen
Kahkonen
Senators-
Forwards
Tkachuk-Pinto-Batherson
Joseph-Stutzle-Giroux
Smejkal-Greig-Kubalik
Katchouk-Kastelic-Kelly
Defense
Sanderson-Zub
Chychrun-Bernard Docker
Kleven-Brannstrom
Goalies
Korpisalo
Forsberg
*John Marino is questionable to play at the time of writing due to an undisclosed injury.
Keys to the Game
Ending the Year Strong
The Devils are coming off three-straight losses to Eastern Conference foes, two of them in heartbreaking fashion to division rivals. With their playoff hunt all but over, New Jersey cannot afford to go into a critical offseason with a sour taste in their mouth. One of the most frustrating things about this year’s team is their inability to beat bad teams.
They’ve lost multiple times to the Ducks and Coyotes, and The Devils have a 1-1-0 against Ottawa. In baseball, they say you should beat the teams you’re supposed to and go .500 against the teams that are better than you. Both of those targets have gotten thrown out the window at this point but beating the Senators will go a long way for team morale.
Stars are Shining
The Devils have struggled to get their star players going at the same time this season but they’ve been playing well as of late. After going cold in March, Jesper Bratt has three goals and nine points in his last six games. Nico Hischier has two goals and seven points in his last four games. Timo Meier is coming off a 13-goal, 20-point month. The only player still sputtering is Jack Hughes, who has just one point in his last three games. If the Devils lose tonight, it won’t be for a lack of star power.
Where to Watch
Tonight’s game can be seen on MSG at 7:00 pm ET.