Overview
The New Jersey Devils (18-28-5) returned to the ice for the first time in eight days last night and dominated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 6-1, in Western Pennsylvania. Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Nico Hischier all had three-points in the win. Meanwhile, Nico Daws was terrific and made 37 saves to claim his second NHL victory.
Tonight, New Jersey wraps up the back-to-back in Chicago against the Blackhawks (18-26-8). The Devils and Hawks have met once this season, with the Devils winning 4-3 courtesy of a Jack Hughes beauty in overtime.
Chicago last played on Sunday in a 5-2 loss against Florida. Despite their struggles, the Blackhawks’ attack is still led by Patrick Kane. The American forward had 49 points in 48 games, putting him above a point-per-game pace for a fourth-straight season. His linemate, Alex DeBrincat, leads the team with 29 goals in 52 games. It is the fourth-time in DeBrincat’s five-year career he has netted 28-plus goals.
Kevin Lankinen is expected to be in net for Chicago for the first time since injury. The has an .889 save percentage across 11 starts this season.
Projected Lines (via Daily Faceoff)
New Jersey Devils’
Forwards
Sharangovich – Hughes – Mercer
Zacha – Hischier – Bratt
Johnsson – Boqvist – Tatar
Vesey – McLeod – Bastian
Defensemen
Siegenthaler – Hamilton
Graves – Severson
Smith – Subban
Goaltenders
Gillies
Daws
Chicago Blackhawks’
Forwards
DeBrincat – Strome – Kane
Kubalik – Reichel – Hagel
Kurashev – Dach – Borgstrom
Entwistle – Carpenter – Lafferty
Defensemen
De Haan – S. Jones
McCabe – Murphy
C. Jones – Gustafsson
Goaltenders
Fleury
Lankinen
What/Who to Watch
Jack Hughes
When the Devils and Blackhawks clashed on opening night, Jack Hughes stole the show. The 20-year old scored twice, including the overtime-winner. Last night, Hughes racked up three helpers, bringing his season total to 33 points in 31 games. His rate of 1.06 points-per-game leads the Devils, with Jesper Bratt close behind at an even 1.00. Hughes also scored in his only other game in Chicago back in 2019.
Jon Gillies
All season, the Devils have been let down by their goaltending, and Gillies has fit this trend. He has struggled since being acquired by New Jersey earlier this year.
The 28-year-old netminder is just 3-8-1 with a 3.50 goals against average and .893 save percentage as a Devil. In February, Gillies has posted a save percentage above .900 just twice in five games. As a whole, New Jersey’s goaltending is giving up 29 more goals than expected, the second-worst mark in the league.
However, the Devils got solid goaltending from Nico Daws last night. It is up to Gillies to continue that in the second-half of the back-to-back.
Patrick Kane
As discussed earlier, Patrick Kane is still an offensive superstar. Despite Chicago’s decline in recent years, the forward continues to produce at an elite rate. The 33-year-old has 49 points in 48 games this year. Meanwhile, Kane has 23 points in 21 games against New Jersey in his career. That includes a pair of assists in the loss back in October.
Where to Watch
The game will be on MSG+. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:30 PM ET.