Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports
The New Jersey Devils (6-4-2) continue their road trip through Western Canada. After winning the, “Battle of the Hughes Brothers,” 6-0 against the Vancouver Canucks, the Devils gear up for the Calgary Flames. The Flames have been a pleasant surprise to begin the season and should pose a good matchup for the Devils.
Match Overview
This game is a game where familiar faces will be seen. For the first time since the big trade, Jacob Markstrom makes his way back to Calgary. Also, the Devils will see former players such as Blake Coleman, Yegor Sharangovich, and Kevin Bahl. It’ll be a nice little reunion in Calgary.
The Devils were struggling and keeping the puck out of the net was difficult. After a convincing win over the Anaheim Ducks this past Sunday, it gave the Devils every bit of confidence. The last two games, they’ve outscored their opponents 12-2. Markstrom has been a brick wall in the crease, posting a 1.01 goals against average, a .957 save percentage, and a 1.95 goals saved above expected. It’s much better than the prior two starts he had. The Devils offense also continues to be scorching, with captain Nico Hischier leading the way.
Unfortunately, in some new injury news it, has been announced by the team that forward Curtis Lazar underwent knee surgery and is out indefinitely.
The Flames are 5-4-1, but are coming off four-straight losses and have been outscored 14-6. In this span, they have a Corsi for percentage (CF%) of 46.32 and have been heavily outshot at five-on-five play. Teams have been enjoying real estate in the high-danger areas, as they’ve gotten their looks and capitalized on them.
The goaltending has also been subpar for the Flames. Both Dan Vladar and Dustin Wolf have had save percentages under .900 and a negative goals saved above expected. The Devils will want to feast on the goaltending that’s been leaky the last few games.
Projected Lineup
New Jersey Devils
Forwards
Meier-Hischier-Mercer
Palat-Hughes-Bratt
Cotter-Haula-Noesen
Defense
Tatar-Dowling-Bastian
Dillon-Hamilton
Siegenthaler-Kovacevic
Hughes-Pesce
Goalies
Markstrom
Allen
Calgary Flames
Forwards
Zary-Kadri-Pospisil
Honzek-Backlund-Coleman
Huberdeau-Sharangovich-Kuzmenko
Lomberg-Kirkland-Mantha
Defense
Bahl-Andersson
Weegar-Pachal
Bean-Barrie
Goalies
Wolf
Vladar
What to Watch For
The Captain Leading the Way
There are not enough words to say about Nico Hischier and how valuable he is to the Devils. He currently leads the league in goals (10) and leads the Devils in points (15) and continues to pave the way offensively. Also, being flanked by Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer has had strong on ice impacts.
The Flames are not the strongest team at five-on-five play and this line can reap the benefits. Together, they have an expected goals for percentage (xGF%) of 58.5. They are constantly buzzing in the offensive zone and have a Corsi for percentage (CF%) of 57.7. They control the play more often than not and look to continue to do so.
Hischier is on a four-game point streak. Meier has nine points in his last seven games and Mercer has back to back multi-point games.
Feast on the Quality Chances Given to You
Not only has the Flames goaltending been leaky, but so has their defense during at even strength. Of course, you are always going to try to find that good quality chance. For the Devils, they’ll be able to generate those given how the Flames defense plays.
For opposing teams playing the Flames, they are able to generate a ton of shots from the perimeter, but also working their way to the inner slot. Given the heat maps, the Flames allow a lot of shot attempts from the blue line. For players like Dougie Hamilton and Luke Hughes, seeing them be more active will be something to watch. Given the Devils ability to go to the front of the net, feasting on rebounds will also be huge.
How to Watch
Tonight’s puck drop is at 9:00 pm ET and can be found on MSG.