Overview
This afternoon, the New Jersey Devils will try for their 12th-straight victory. The win would put the team in sole possession of the second-longest win streak in franchise history. This time the opponent in their way is once again the Ottawa Senators, a team they have already beaten once on this winning streak. The Senators will be missing two key pieces in today’s matinee, as they will be without Josh Norris and Thomas Chabot.
The Devils hold a record of 14-3-0 and are in first place in the Metropolitan Division. The Senators are 6-9-1 and sit last place in the Atlantic Division.
Lines and Pairings
Devils –
Forwards:
Tatar-Hischier-Zetterlund
Hughes-Haula-Bratt
Sharangovich-Boqvist-Mercer
Wood-McLeod-Bastian
Defense:
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Graves-Marino
Smith-Severson
Goalies:
Vanecek
Schmid
Senators –
Forwards:
Tkachuk-Stutzle-Giroux
DeBrincat-Brassard-Joseph
Motte-Pinto-Batherson
Kelly-Gambrell-Watson
Defense:
Sanderson-Hamonic
Branstrom – Bernard-Docker
Holden-Larsson
Goalies:
Forsberg
Talbot
Keys to the Game
Every Forward is Special
The power play and penalty kill, often referred to as “special teams,” is often saved for the players who specialize specifically in offense or defense. However, everyone seems to be special in the Devils forward group this season. All 12 of the Devils’ skaters upfront average at least 0:40 seconds of special teams ice time per game.
Ottawa’s Deceptively Rough Start
While the Senators may be fifth to last in the entire NHL, it’s not all doom and gloom in Ottawa. First is that their big free agent signing, Claude Giroux, has been performing possibly better than expected. The veteran center has collected eight goals and 17 total points in his first 16 games. The underlying stats for the team are also not as terrible as you’d expect. They hold the 10th best five-on-five Corsi-for percentage (CF%) in the league at 51.51 and the 12th best expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) at five-on-five at 51.94.
Where To Watch: Puck drop is scheduled for 1:00 P.M. ET in Ottawa. The game can be seen on MSG SportsNet.