The New Jersey Devils (8-5-2) host the Montreal Canadiens (4-7-2) on Thursday night. New Jersey is coming off a western Canada road trip where it went 2-1-0, including a 3-0 win over Edmonton on Monday. Meanwhile, Montreal has lost four straight. The Canadiens last played Tuesday in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Flames. This is the first meeting of the year between the Devils and Canadiens.
Match Overview
There have been no new injury updates for the Devils. New Jersey will still be without Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian for the foreseeable future. The club has also not made any call ups from Utica (AHL) as of writing, so expect Kurtis MacDermid to stick on the fourth line for the time being. Check out our social media pages for any potential updates from Thursday’s morning skate.
In net, Jacob Markstrom is likely to get the start after Jake Allen pitched a shutout in Edmonton on Monday. Markstrom has gotten the bulk of the early workload for the Devils, starting ten of the 15 games so far. In those ten games, Markstrom has posted a .907 save percentage and a -1.06 goals saved above expected (GSAx).
As for Montreal, the Canadiens are without Patrik Laine and Rafael Harvey-Pinard, both of whom are out long-term. Among healthy Canadiens, the Montreal top line has been the clear driving force of the team offensively. Cole Caufield is tied for the league-lead with 10 goals while Nick Suzuki leads the team with 13 points. Mike Matheson leads the blueliners with nine points so far.
Sam Montembeault will likely get the start in goal for the Canadiens. The 28-year-old has registered a .898 save percentage and a 2.68 GSAx.
Projected Lines
New Jersey Devils
Forwards
Meier – Hischier – Mercer
Palat – Hughes – Bratt
Cotter – Haula – Noesen
MacDermid – Dowling – Tatar
Defensemen
Dillon – Hamilton
Siegenthaler – Kovacevic
Hughes – Pesce
Goaltenders
Markstrom
Allen
Montreal Canadiens
Forwards
Caufield – Suzuki – Dach
Newhook – Evans – Slafkovsky
Gallagher – Dvorak – Anderson
Heineman – Condotta – Armia
Defensemen
Matheson – Guhle
Hutson – Savard
Xhekaj – Struble
Goaltenders
Montembeault
Primeau
What To Watch For
Siegenthaler, Kovacevic Pairing
When New Jersey acquired Johnathan Kovacevic from Montreal for a 2026 fourth-round pick this offseason, many assumed general manager Tom Fitzgerald was making a move to add depth on the blue line. However, Kovacevic has become a crucial part of the Devils’ defensive corps.
The 27-year-old has been partnered with Jonas Siegenthaler all season, the duo has thrived. At five-on-five, the pairing has posted a 58.63 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) while the Devils have had 60.66% of the high-danger scoring chances with Kovacevic and Siegenthaler on the ice. Look for this pair to have another strong night against Kovacevic’s former club.
Hughes, Pesce Pairing
The Devils have gotten solid performance from the defense across the board this season, but getting Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce back from injury have really rounded out the blue line.
In six games, the pairing has 54.61 xGF% at five-on-five and a 16-10 edge in high-danger chances while on the ice. This is especially solid for New Jersey when the previous third pair of Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey were below 30% in both of these metrics in their eight games together. Both Nemec and Casey are exciting prospects, but Hughes and Pesce are the stronger pairing right now.
Even more impressive was Hughes and Pesce’s performance on Monday in Edmonton. At five-on-five, Hughes finished with a 69.36 xGF% while Pesce registered a 57.78 xGF%. Those were the highest marks of all Devils skaters while no other New Jersey defenseman even cracked 25.00 xGF%.
Jack Hughes’ Line
During the three game road trip to western Canada, the trio of Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Ondrej Palat had an impressive showing at five-on-five.
In just under 28 minutes of ice time together, the trio put up a 67.59 xGF% while the Devils had a 10-4 edge in high-danger chances with this line on the ice.
Where To Watch
The Devils and Canadiens can be seen on MSGSN. Puck drop from the Prudential Center is set for 7:00 pm ET.
Note: All statistics via Natural Stat Trick.