Sunday night, the New Jersey Devils look to stay hot by defeating the San Jose Sharks. After starting the season 5-4-2, the Devils have gone 5-1-0 including a three-game win streak that they are currently on.
The Devils are currently 10-5-2, which currently has them first in the Metropolitan division. The Sharks hold a record of 4-9-2, which has them last in the Pacific division.
Match Overview
The Sharks kicked off their season by choking a 4-1 lead in the third period to the St. Louis Blues. They would lose their next eight after that, becoming the first team in NHL history to begin two consecutive seasons on nine game winless streaks. San Jose, however, has been somewhat hot recently, winning four of their past six games.
Last season, the Sharks and Devils split their two-game season series. Many Devils fans probably remember their game at the Prudential Center in which the Devils lost 6-3 despite outshooting San Jose 47-18. The rematch between these two teams at the end of February was revenge for the Devils, as they scorched the Sharks for seven goals and 44 shots.
Lines and Pairings
Devils
Forwards
Palat-Hughes-Bratt
Meier-Hischier-Mercer
Cotter-Haula-Noesen
Tatar-Dowling-MacDermid
Defense
Dillon-Hamilton
Hughes-Pesce
Siegenthaler-Kovacevic
Goalies
Allen
Markstrom
Sharks
Forwards
Granlund-Celebrini-Toffoli
Eklund-Wennberg-Zetterlund
Goodrow-Smith-Kunin
Grundstrum-Sturm-Delandrea
Defense
Ferraro-Ceci
Thompson-Liljegren
Thrun-Rutta
Goalies
Blackwood
Vanecek
Keys to the Game
Old Friends Return Home
The San Jose Sharks have become a home for quite a few old Devils. Fabian Zetterlund has faired pretty well there since being shipped off in the Timo Meier deal, scoring 24 goals and 44 total points in a full 82 last season, and 10 in 15 to kick off this season. Tyler Toffoli signed a four-year, $24 million contract in the offseason to help lead a young Sharks squad. He currently has 11 points in 15 games this season including six goals.
The final two former Devils happen to be the entire Sharks goaltending tandem. If you recall the Devils netminders in 2022-23, it was Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood (at least to start the season). They have both found their way to the Sharks via trade from the Devils.
Vanecek has a 2-5-0 record with an .898 save percentage (SV%) this season and Blackwood has a 2-4-2 record with an .894 SV% after an .899 SV% in 44 games last year.
Hughes Heating Up
After last night’s heroics in overtime, Jack Hughes has six points in his last two games and is up to 18 in 17 games this season. Nico Hischier had been the hottest Devil to start the season, but if Jack can get going it adds a whole new threat level to an already dangerous Devils team.
Where To Watch
The Devils and Sharks matchup is slated for a 7:00 pm ET puck drop. The game can be seen on MSGSN.