The New Jersey Devils (32-29-2) enter the second of a back-to-back set. After taking on, and defeating, their arch rival in the New York Rangers, they’ll continue their homestand against the Detroit Red Wings (35-21-7).
Matchup Overview
Don’t look now, but the Devils are on a heater. After losing the first two games after the Olympic break, the Devils have won four in a row with the latest victory coming against the lowly Rangers in a 6-3 victory on Saturday.
Alot of things have gone well for the Devils during their win streak. Their five-on-five play has been elevated. Over the last four games, the Devils have a Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of 56.56 and have heavily outshot opponents 107-70. When it comes to the quality of these chances, the Devils have a 58.47 expected goals for percentage (xGF%). Finishing ability has been a particular issue for this team, but in this stretch they’ve managed to score right at their expected rate.
The Devils will be further tested, as they are without Brett Pesce, who is week-to-week. With Jacob Markström starting Saturday’s game, Jake Allen could be pegged to start the second of this back-to-back against Detroit.
The Devils and Red Wings have faced off once so far, with the Devils winning the game 4-3 in late November. The Red Wings currently occupy the third spot in the Atlantic Division and are fighting for their playoff lives. This team overall struggles to score goals, relying on their top tier talent. To this point, they only have three 20-plus goal scorers. It’ll be a tough test, as they are without both Dylan Larkin and David Perron.
Projected Lineup
New Jersey Devils
Make sure to check to out social media pages for the lineup.
Detroit Red Wings
Forwards
Rasmussen-Larkin-Raymond
DeBrincat-Copp-Kane
Finnie-Kasper-Appleton
Van Riemsdyk-Compher-Shine
Defenseman
Edvinsson-Seider
Chiarot-Bernard Docker
Johansson-Sandin Pelikka
Goalies
Gibson
Talbot
What to Watch For
Smothering The Red Wings’ Power Play
The Red Wings struggle to score goals at five-on-five. They have the fifth-fewest goals at that strength (105), just eight more than the Devils who are dead-last in that regard. In back-to-back sets, play can be sloppy and tired legs can be a thing. Mental mistakes can lead to penalties and the Devils will want to stay out of the box as much as possible and keep this game at five on five.
The Red Wings have scored 44 power play goals and have the 10th-ranked power play in the entire league. Their biggest weapons are Alex DeBrincat (12 goals) and Dylan Larkin (10 goals), who is out due to injury. The Devils will need to keep their eyes on those guys, but most importantly stay out of the box.
Jack Hughes Dominance
He scored one of the biggest goals in USA Olympics history and since scoring the golden goal has been stellar for the Devils. Hughes leads the Devils in goals and points and his on-ice impacts have been stellar.
Among the Devils skaters, Hughes ranks second in CF% (61.47), and 10th in xGF% (56.46). Individually, he’s generated 1.74 expected goals and has scored four. He is finding ways to generate scoring chances and get to the high danger areas of the ice. Hughes is the engine that runs and him producing is massive, even with the Devils outlook on the season as a whole.
How to Watch
Sunday’s puck drop is at 7:00 pm ET and can be found on ESPN.