After dropping the final two games on the road, the New Jersey Devils (32-32-4) return home for game action. It was a tough pill to sallow, being outscored a combined 7-2 the final two games and seeing the playoff hopes slip away. The road to the postseason does not get easier, especially given the opponent coming into town.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are also still in the hunt but their hopes are getting slimmer. For two teams chasing down that final spot, this is an important two points on the line. The Devils currently sit one point behind the Penguins and are six points back of the second wild card spot.
Match Overview
The two teams look very different from the first meeting. This is the second matchup between the divisional teams, with the Devils winning the first meeting 5-2. In that matchup, the Devils had Tyler Toffoli and Dougie Hamilton in the lineup, who both ended up on the scoresheet. Also, the Penguins had premiere goal scorer Jake Guentzel. All three players are unavailable in this contest, with both teams trading away their scoring wingers.
The Devils have gotten good goaltending as of late, which is a complete turnaround from everything up until the trade deadline. Pittsburgh will ice a fully healthy lineup, with no major injuries. As for the Devils, Nathan Bastian remains out and Jonas Siegenthaler is also on the sidelines.
Projected Lineup
Pittsburgh Penguins
Forwards
O’Connor-Crosby-Rust
Bunting-Malkin-Rakell
Smith-Eller-Puustinen
Bemstrom-Acciari-Carter
Defense
Pettersson-Letang
Graves-Karlsson
Ludvig-Joseph
Goalies
Jarry
Nedeljkovic
New Jersey Devils
Forwards
Hughes-Hischier-Bratt
Palat-Haula-Holtz
Meier-Lazar-Mercer
Macdermid-Tierney-Nosek
Defense
Hughes-Desimone
Bahl-Marino
Smith-Nemec
Goalies
Kahkonen
Allen
What to Watch For
The Devils Offense Running Dry
Hockey is poetic sometimes and seeing how trends are is intriguing. For the majority of the 2023-24 season, the Devils’ goaltending was the struggle point. Getting that extra save was never an occurrence. The team was able to score goals in bunches, helping aid the lagging goaltending. However, the script has been flipped and the trend is going the opposite direction.
Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen have been more than good enough for the Devils to win games. In a shocking turn of events, the Devils goal scoring has run dry and the offense has lagged behind. Of the last four games, the Devils have scored more than one goal only once. Timo Meier has led the way with eight goals over the month span. The team needs more and from other players. There is still time but the clock is ticking and now it’s the offenses turn to help the goaltending.
Devils Goalies Holding Things Down
It has been a breath of fresh air for the Devils when it comes to the play of their goalies. As mentioned above, the newcomers in the crease have been more than good enough to win games. It may not have been the names that were originally linked to the Devils, but they’ve been good. Even though the Penguins are in the same position as the Devils are, they still boast Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Seeing if they can keep the momentum going would be huge.
Regardless of who is in net, the Devils have a chance to win. Jake Allen has been great in his two starts for the Devils. He has 3.55 goals saved above expected and is rocking a .945 save percentage. Allen has also been sharp in the high-danger areas, which is huge to see.
Kaapo Kahkonen has also been a good get for general manager Tom Fitzgerald. He is perfect in the high-danger areas, stopping all ten shots he’s faced. However, he does have a -1.34 goals saved above expected and an .875 save percentage. He’s been good but Allen has been better.
Either way, the tandem is in much better position than it was a month ago and with the offense running dry, the team will lean on them as much as they can.
Where to Watch
Tonight’s puck drop is at 7:00 pm ET and can be found on MSG.