The top two teams in the Metropolitan Division are set to face-off once again tonight. This is the third time the New Jersey Devils (25-12-3) and Carolina Hurricanes (25-8-7) have met since December 22. The Devils will look to finally breakthrough after dropping the first two games in the season series (0-1-1).

Match Overview

The Devils are slowly starting to come out of their extended skid. Over their last five games, the team has won three and has tallied a point in at least four. This is New Jersey’s first game of their impending five-game road trip, and first before they head out West.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are ‘slumping’ for the first time this season. Carolina has lost their last three games dating back to their shootout win against New Jersey on the 1st. Over this time, they’ve been outscored 14-9.

Injury-wise, each Miles Wood, Nathan Bastian, and John Marino are joining the Devils for their road trip. Wood was injured in practice yesterday, while Bastian has been practicing with the team and Marino is slowly working his way back.

For the Hurricanes, Stefan Noesen is listed as day-to-day. Also, Ondrej Kase, Fredrick Andersen, and Jake Gardiner all remain on injured reserve. Though, the Hurricanes did get Max Pacioretty back recently.

Projected Lines

Devils –

Forwards:

Tatar – Hischier – Bratt

Sharangovich – Hughes – Mercer

Palat – Haula – Boqvist

Zetterlund – McLeod – Holtz

Defense:

Siegenthaler – Hamilton

Graves – Severson

Okhotiuk – Smith

Goalies:

Vanecek

Blackwood

Hurricanes –

Forwards:

Pacioretty – Aho – Jarvis

Svechnikov – Statsny – Necas

Martinook – Staal – Fast

Teravaienen – Kotkaniemi – Stepan

Defense:

Slavin – Burns

Skjei – Pesce

Chatfield – Coghlan

Goalies:

Kochetkov

Raanta

What To Watch

Hurricanes ‘Cold Stretch’

As mentioned above, the Hurricanes have lost three in a row. Two have come in regulation and one in overtime. Though, a deeper dive into those games tells a different story.

In each the game against Nashville (5-3 loss) and game against Columbus (4-3 loss), Carolina dominated. They totaled 109 shots across those two losses. Bottom-line, the three consecutive losses haven’t come due to bad play.

The main issue has been goaltending and the lack of finishing. Over the past three games, Hurricanes’ goalies have stopped 61-of-72, that’s a .847 save percentage. Carolina, themselves, have also totaled 132 shots over that time, only scoring nine goals (6.8% shooting, well-below average).

So, it’ll be interesting to see if whoever is in net for Carolina tonight can bounce-back against a much better Devils’ squad then they have been facing. And if the Hurricanes can finally start capitalizing on their several chances.

Two Similar Teams

Despite the Boston Bruins absurd 32-4-4 record, there is a real argument to be made the Hurricanes are just as good. Coincidentally enough, the Devils have a very similar analytical make-up in comparison to the Hurricanes.

The teams rank first and second in nearly every single five-on-five metric. This includes Corsi-for percentage (CF%), expected goals-for percentage (xGF%), scoring-chance differential, and high-danger chance differential.

As for special teams, the Devils have a slight edge. Their power play ranks 18th and the Hurricanes 23rd. Meanwhile, the Devils’ penalty kill ranks eighth and the Hurricanes’ 14th. Though, as you can see via the above charts, those rankings are a bit misleading.

Regardless, it is well known how much of a juggernaut the Hurricanes have emerged as. With that being said, and seeing how well the Devils stack up, it cannot be forgotten how good New Jersey is as well.

Where To Watch

Tonight’s game at PNC Arena in Raleigh is scheduled for a 7:00 P.M. ET puck drop. It can only be seen exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu.