The New Jersey Devils road trip continues. After beginning the trip with a convincing victory, the Devils head to Colorado to take on the high-flying Avalanche. The Devils have played the Avalanche once already, losing 4-0 on home ice.
Matchup Overview
The Devils stumbled out of the break with a slow start against the Dallas Stars and ultimately lost the game 3-2. After many criticized Jack Hughes, for right or wrong, due to his 4 Nations Face-off performance, he powered the Devils in that comeback with two goals. Hughes has been a machine since retuning, having a Corsi-for percentage of 63.22 and the Devils are outshooting the opposition 32-14 with him on the ice. Offense is continuing to be generated with him on the ice and the Devils are reaping the benefits.
The Devils are coming off a convincing victory over the Nashville Predators 5-0. Finally, the depth decided to shine through for the Devils, as everyone that scored goals was not named Hughes or Bratt. It was a breath of fresh air and a good victory for the Devils to get back into the win column. Up next is a tough opponent who has begun to figure things out.
The Devils will not have to face Mikko Rantanen in this matchup. But, they’ll be facing a player they are familiar with in Martin Necas. The Avalanche have lost their first two games since the break, scoring only two goals in the two games. Not something that offense is used to, as they average 3.15 goals per game (11th-best). The Devils will also likely face former goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, who’s been very good since coming over in the trade with the San Jose Sharks.
Projected Lineups
New Jersey Devils
Forwards
Palat-Hughes-Bratt
Tatar-Hischier-Noesen
Meier-Dowling-Mercer
Cotter-Haula-Bastian
Defense
Dillon-Hamilton
Pesce-Kovacevic
Hughes-Casey
Goalies
Allen
Daws
Colorado Avalanche
Forwards
Lehkonen-MacKinnon-Necas
Drouin-Mittlestadt-Parssinen
Wood-Drury-Colton
Kiviranta-Kelly-O’Connor
Defense
Toews-Makar
Girard-Malinski
De Haan-Kylington
Goalies
Blackwood
Wedgewood
What to Watch For
Martin Necas Settling in Nicely
The Devils are very familiar with Necas due to his time with the Hurricanes. He is dynamic player that plays with tremendous speed and brings a ton of skill to the ice. It also helps that he plays alongside arguably the best player right now in Nathan MacKinnon. Many wondered how Necas would fair out with the Avalanche and that addition has paid off.
Necas has been a force for the Avalanche. Is he Rantanen? No, but he is definitely producing. In ten games, Necas has four goals and nine points and has fit like a glove. Also, he has been a stellar player during five-on-five play, making him a player to watch for.
At five-on-five, Necas holds a 64.42 Corsi-for percentage and also has an expected goals-for percentage of 64.54. He is making a difference offensively and seven of his nine points have come at five on-five play.
Take Advantage of Special Teams Play
There are no shortage of weapons on either team, especially when it comes to power play opportunities. Overall, the Devils have the third ranked power play across the entire league. However, they’ve scored only three goals with the man advantage in the month of February. Also, the Avalanche have the same amount of goals scored, making it an even playing field for the monthly output.
The Devils’ penalty kill overall is a strong unit, but going up against MacKinnon, Makar, and Necas is never an easy task. The Devils didn’t allow a single power play goal against in the first meeting, but winning this special teams battle could make or break the two points.
How to Watch
Wednesday night’s puck drop is at 9:30 pm ET and can be found on MSG.