The New Jersey Devils (5-2-0) ended their two game road trip on a positive note and became the first team in the league to reach the ten point mark. Their opponent, the Washington Capitals (3-2-0), are coming off a strong victory over the Dallas Stars.
Match Overview
The Devils are playing strong hockey to start the season. They are getting quality goaltending from both Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen. Their depth has come through and the big guys are starting to step up.
This is also the second matchup of the season between these two clubs. After dropping the home opener, the Devils defeated the Capitals in Washington, 5-3. The Devils had four different goal scorers, with Paul Cotter leading the charge. Since then, the Devils have gone 2-1-0, splitting their most recent two game road trip.
As for the Capitals, they are coming off two very impressive wins and against some of the top teams in the Western Conference. Their new-look goalie tandem has performed well to begin the year. Logan Thompson got his revenge against his former team, finishing with an impressive .923 save percentage in victory against Vegas. The Capitals gave the Dallas Stars their first loss of the year in a 3-2 victory.
One key player missing from the Capitals is defenseman Matt Roy. Everything remains the same for the Devils as, they are still without Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes.
Projected Lineup
New Jersey Devils
Forwards
Meier-Hischier-Mercer
Cotter-Hughes-Bratt
Tatar-Haula-Noesen
Palat-Lazar-Bastian
Defense
Dillon-Hamilton
Siegenthaler-Kovacevic
Casey-Nemec
Goalies
Markstrom
Allen
Washington Capitals
Forwards
Protas-Strome-Ovechkin
McMichael-Dubois-Wilson
Vrana-Lapierre-Mangiapane
Duhaime-Dowd-Raddysh
Defense
Chychrun-Carlson
Fehervary-McIlrath
Sandin-van Riemsdyk
Goalies
Lindgren
Thompson
What to Watch For
Paul Cotter Continues to Shine
There have been a a plethora of trades that general manager Tom Fitzgerald has made. One that has come as a victory so far is the acquisition of Paul Cotter. He has shown promise early to start the season, from his stable production to his physical presence on the ice.
Cotter’s last game against the Capitals, he had two goals. Overall, he has five goals and one assist in seven games. He is a player that’s been able to slide up the lineup alongside Jack Hughes. While on the ice with Hughes, the Devils held the edge in expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) at 67.55 and a Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of 64.29.
Generating the Quality Chances
One thing that was impressive for the Capitals is their ability to generate quality chances during five-on-five play. They did not have the quantity of shots, as they were out-attempted, but what they did do was generate quality chances. The last two victories, the Capitals held the edge in scoring chances and finished with more high-danger attempts.
Basically, the Devils will want to ensure they do a good job defending the high-danger area. The Capitals may not be a constant threat, but when they have this year, they’ve been successful.
Where to Watch?
Saturday night’s puck drop is slated for 7:00 pm ET and can be found on MSG.