The New Jersey Devils wrap up their Florida road trip against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. The Devils are coming off two huge victories against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and are readying to take on a Lightning team that’s won one in their last five games. This is the second meeting between the two clubs, with the Lightning winning the first one 8-5.
Match Overview
Things have been looking really good for the Devils as of late. They currently occupy the top spot in the Metropolitan Division and are coming off a monstrous pair of victories. After getting shutout by former goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, the Devils dominated the defending champion Florida Panthers for two games and outscoring them 10-3. Talk about a response. It was a collective effort and with the Devils getting contributions from everyone.
Stefan Noesen has made his presence known, having a pair of goals in the second game. But, it was the Devils’ big stars that helped pave the way. Jack Hughes had four points, Jesper Bratt had a hat trick, and Nico Hischier had a three-assist game.
After a blistering start, the Lightning have cooled down. After defeating the Devils the first meeting, they finished October strong. However, in the month of November, they have gone 1-3-1. Teams were feasting on them to start the month, as they’ve allowed three or more goals in every meeting. It’s gotten better with them allowing just two goals in the last two games.
The Lightning are also coming off a monstrous victory against the dominant Winnipeg Jets. One big blow is that Lightning center Brayden Point is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and will be out for the game. It is a major loss, as he has been a point-per-game player for the Lightning (13 points in 12 games).
Projected Lineup
New Jersey Devils
Forwards
Meier-Hischier-Noesen
Palat-Hughes-Bratt
Cotter-Haula-Mercer
MacDermid-Dowling-Tatar
Defense
Dillon-Hamilton
Hughes-Pesce
Siegenthaler-Kovacevic
Goalies
Markstrom
Allen
Tampa Bay Lightning
Forwards
Hagel-Cirelli-Kucherov
Guentzel-Paul-Atkinson
Gonclaves-Geekie-Chaffee
Girgensons-Glendenning-Eyssimont
Defense
Hedman-Moser
McDonagh-Cernak
Lilleberg-Perbix
Goalies
Vasilevskiy
Johansson
What to Watch For
Jesper Bratt’s Dominance to Continue
Jesper Bratt is a special hockey player and a tremendous offensive talent. This past week has seen him be one of the more effective players for the Devils. Yes, he had the hat trick and that phenomenal saucer pass assist on the Jack Hughes goal, but he’s been the Devils best player at five-on-five, overall, this week.
Bratt has a Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of 53.77 and the Devils are controlling the play when he’s on the ice. Also, he has an expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) of 54.04. Good things are happening with Bratt out there and he leads the team in points with 24.
Devils’ Special Teams Dominance
Special teams played a factor this week, but it’s been dominant all season long. The Devils special teams unit is taking care of business. Despite having the fourth most penalty minutes in the league, the Devils have the fourth-best penalty kill unit with a 85.5% success rate. The Lightning have weapons and Nikita Kucherov is always a threat. The Lightning sit 14th in terms of power play success. Without Point, it does make things easier for the Devils, but you give a team enough chances, they’ll find a crack in the armor.
But it isn’t just the penalty kill that’s been good, it’s the power play. The Devils power play was 3-for-5 in the second game against the Panthers and it helped decide the game. The Devils are showcasing their weapons. They have the fourth best power play in the entire league and facing the 22nd-ranked Lighting penalty kill unit.
Where to Watch
Tonight’s puck drop is at 7:00 pm ET and can be found on MSG.