Wednesday, the New Jersey Devils look to get back on track as they face the Dallas Stars at home.
The Devils are currently 16-9-1 after losing consecutive games to the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets, both 5-3 at home. The Stars are currently 17-5-5, they lost 3-2 in overtime to the New York Rangers on the road Tuesday.
Match Overview
While the Dallas Stars have unsurprisingly been one of the best teams in the NHL this season, they have dealt with their fair share of injuries. Three of their regular defenseman are out right now, including Thomas Harley who signed an eight-year extension worth over $10.5 million annually this past summer that kicks in next year.
The Devils have struggled with the Stars as of late. Over the two team’s last 10 meetings the Devils are 3-6-1 with a negative-10 goal differential. Last season, the Devils lost both of their games against Dallas, including one on the road where the winning goal was scored with under five seconds left in regulation. That was the two teams’ last meeting so New Jersey is looking to get right from the deflating loss last season.
Notably, Casey DeSmith played for Dallas Tuesday night. This means that Jake Oettinger will start against the Devils. He has a .900 save percentage, but a strong 3.91 goals saved above expected.
Lines and Pairings
Devils
Forwards
Meier-Hischier-Bratt
Gritsyuk-Mercer-Palat
Cotter-Glass-Brown
Lammikko-Glendening-Noesen
Defense
Hughes-Nemec
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Dillon-Cholowski
Goalies
Allen
Markstrom
Stars
Forwards
Benn-Johnston-Rantanen
Robertson-Hintz-Seguin
Back-Hryckowian-Bourque
Steel-Faksa-Blackwell
Defense
Lindell-Heiskanen
Kolyachonok-Petrovic
Capovianco-Lybushkin
Goalies
Oettinger
DeSmith
Keys to the Game
Red Hot Robertson
While Jack Hughes has been a lock for Team USA at the 2026 Olympics, Jason Robertson had no such insurance coming into this season, especially after being left off the 4 Nations Face-Off roster last winter. Robertson seemingly has had a chip on his shoulder since then, as he was red hot to finish last season, and has carried that momentum into this year. Since February 20, Robertson is sixth in the NHL in scoring with 64 points in 53 games.
The now sixth-year forward was just named the NHL’s second star of the month in November with 13 goals and 26 points in just 15 games.
Big Three
Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier should always be major contributors to the Devils, but with Jack Hughes down at the moment, it’s even more pivotal that they produce. Thus far without Hughes they have done just that. In nine games since Hughes’ injury, the trio has combined for 12 goals and 31 points while all averaging over 20 minutes per night.
Where to Watch
Puck drop for Wednesday’s game is set for 7:00 pm ET and can be found on MSG SportsNet.