Overview
After beating the Calgary Flames 4-2 yesterday, the New Jersey Devils (14-10-1) will take on the Edmonton Oilers (11-12-1) in the second game of their back-to-back weekend in a matinee matchup at Rogers Place.
The Devils have played well as of late, winning six of their last seven games. Despite a shaky third period, New Jersey played a good all-around game yesterday, dominating through the first two periods and getting decent goaltending from the struggling Vitek Vanecek. The Oilers, meanwhile, are coming in red-hot with a six-game winning streak.
The Devils are tied for fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with 29 points, deadlocked with Pittsburgh and Washington. The Oilers sit fifth in the Pacific with 23 points.
Lines and Pairings
Devils-
Forwards
Haula-Hughes-Toffoli
Palat-Hischier-Bratt
Meier-Mercer-Lazar
Holtz-McLeod-Bastian
Defense
Siegenthaler-Nemec
Bahl-Marino
Hughes-Miller
Goalies
Schmid
Vanecek
Oilers-
Forwards
Nugent Hopkins-McDavid-Hyman
Kane-Draisaitl-Brown
Janmark-McLeod-Foegele
Gagner-Hamblin-Ryan
Defense
Nurse-Ceci
Ekholm-Bouchard
Kulak-Desharnais
Goalies
Skinner
Pickard
Keys to the Game
Oilers on a Heater
The Oilers got off to an abysmal 5-12-1 start to the year, falling apart without any real options in net. Recently, however, they’ve been on a tear, beating Washington, Anaheim, Vegas, Winnipeg, Carolina, and Minnesota in a streak stretching back to November 24. On 6 December, they manhandled the Hurricanes 6-1, leaving Rod Brind’Amour embarrassed for his team.
Over these six games, superstar forward Connor McDavid has three goals and a whopping 18 points. If New Jersey is going to be the team to break this streak, they need to find a way to keep McDavid off the puck.
Bratt Back to Form
Jesper Bratt scored a goal and tallied an assist against Calgary, earning first-star honors. He’s on a four-game point streak, with three goals and six points over that period. This is a welcome return to form for Bratt, who had gone seven games without a goal before the game against Vancouver. Look for Bratt to continue his hot streak today.
Where to Watch
Today’s game can be seen on MSGSN at 4:00 p.m. EST.