After a much-needed 3-2 shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, the New Jersey Devils (30-19-6, 3rd Metropolitan), will host the Vegas Golden Knights (31-17-6, 2nd Pacific) at the Prudential Center tonight.
Overview
The Devils have been paying some pretty good hockey lately with a 4-2-0 record in their last six games. They’ve done this without Jacob Markstrom and Nico Hischier, which is impressive. Jake Allen has gotten the lion’s share of the ice time with Markstrom on the shelf but Nico Daws put up an excellent start against Pittsburgh. With just two games to go until the 4 Nations break, the Devils hope to end this stretch of the season on a high note and get healthy.
Vegas is trending opposite to the Devils with four losses in a row coming into Thursday night’s game. The Golden Knights’ offense has dried up in the last week, failing to score more than two goals since their 4-3 loss to Dallas on January 28. They’ve lost first place in their division to the Oilers and need to get right against a Devils team emerging from their rough stretch.
Lines and Pairings
Devils-
Forwards
Palat-Hughes-Bratt
Meier-Haula-Mercer
Cotter-Dowling-Noesen
Tatar-Lazar-Bastian
Defense
Check our social media pages closer to puck drop for defensive pairings with the injury to Jonas Siegenthaler.
Goalies
Allen
Daws
Golden Knights-
Forwards
Barbashev-Eichel-Olofsson
Dorfeyev-Hertl-Holtz
Saad-Howden-Stone
Korczak-Roy-Kolesar
Defense
Hague-Pietrangelo
McNabb-Theodore
Hanifin-Whitecloud
Goalies
Hill
Samsonov
Keys to the Game
Devils’ Injuries
The break couldn’t come at a better time for a banged-up Devils squad. The latest addition to the infirmary is Jonas Siegenthaler, who injured his lower body against Pittsburgh. That will throw the defensive pairings, which have remained steady throughout most of the season, in a blender. It’s unclear whether or not the Luke Hughes/Johnathan Kovacevic and Brenden Dillion/Brett Pesce pairs will take the ice or if they’ll be moved around to accommodate an addition like Simon Nemec or Santeri Hatakka, who will come off injured reserve soon.
Additionally, the Devils are still dealing with the absences of Markstrom and Hischier. New Jersey has managed to find serviceable goaltending in Allen and Daws but the offense sorely misses Hischier’s scoring touch and two-way ability.
Vegas Needs Its Performers
The Golden Knights’ offense has struggled mightily as of late, and much of the blame rests on the shoulders of its star players. The captain, Mark Stone, hasn’t scored since January 23. Pavel Dorofeyev has one goal in his last six games. Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertl have shown up but they need reinforcements fast if they hope to escape this skid.
Where to Watch
Tonight’s game can be seen on MSGSN at 7:00 pm ET.