Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
The New Jersey Devils (2-0-0) continue their preseason schedule Thursday night. They’ve managed to win the first of their two preseason games and continue to get through the next slate of games before the home opener on October 1. The Devils are set to take on the New York Rangers again, whom they played in their last preseason game.
Matchup Overview
The first preseason game saw the Devils role out a more youthful lineup with very few regulars in the fold. However, against the Rangers Monday night at Prudential Center was a lineup that featured more regulars. This will be much different Thursday as New Jersey is bringing a team with very few who will make the opening night roster.
The Rangers are 0-2-0 this preseason. Their second game against the New York Islanders was a back-and-forth battle. The Rangers did have more regulars in their lineup compared to the lineup they rolled out against the Devils.
Projected Lineup
New Jersey Devils
Forwards
Boqvist-Lombardi-Noesen
Steeves-Melovsky-Hameenaho
Tufte-White-Parent
Lachance-Schmelzer-McLaughlin
Defense
Vilen-Diotte
Edwards-Casey
Morin-Powell
Goalies
Daws
Malek
What to Watch For
Who Will be The Backup Goalie?
It is all but certain that Jake Allen is going to be the Devils’ starter this season. He finished last season with a 2.74 goals against average (GAA), a .903 save percentage, and led the team with 6.3 goals save above expected (GSAX). He was sharp in the lone period he played against the Rangers, despite the competition the Rangers trotted out there not being very strong.
It comes down to the two names that have gotten starts this preseason. David Rittich and Nico Daws.
Rittich is the far likely option and looked strong against the Islanders in the first preseason game, finishing with a .958 save percentage stopping 23-of-24 shots.
As for Daws, much shakier of a start. The goals he let in were short side and were not exactly high danger. In total, he gave up two goals and finished the game with -0.43 GSAx.
Can Lombardi Continue To Make A Roster Push?
There’s a lot of upside with Amadeus Lombardi. He has the speed that will make the bottom-six better, and also the play making tools. This is a player who has had back to back 40-plus point seasons in the AHL and has scored more than 15 goals each of the last two seasons. The sample size is small for Lombardi this preseason, but the impacts are very notable.
In the lone preseason game he has played and having 11:49 minutes of time on ice, he finished with a CF% of 75.00, the Devils outshot opponents 4-0 with him on the ice, held the edge in scoring chances, and even scored a goal. It’ll be fun to see how he performs in this game and continues to make a roster push.
Where to Watch
Thursday’s puck drop is at 7:00 pm ET and can be found on MSG and also NHLN.