Match Overview
Tonight, the New Jersey Devils face off against the Boston Bruins for round three of eight this season. In their last pair of meetings, Boston took the first game in the shootout, while Yegor Sharangovich ended it in overtime in game two. Jaroslav Halak and Mackenzie Blackwood are projected to face off in net again.
Projected Devils’ Lines
The New Jersey Devils’ lines should stay similar to what they were Thursday night. Although, Lindy Ruff has indicated that both Sami Vatanen and Dmitry Kulikov are expected to enter the lineup. Travis Zajac (Conditioning) and Ryan Murray (Illness – not COVID related) will remain out of the lineup.
Check back on our socials closer to game time for full lineups.
Projected Bruins’ Lines
Forwards:
Marchand – Bergeron – DeBrusk
Ritchie – Krejci – Pastrnak
Frederic – Coyle – Smith
Bjork – Kuraly – Wagner
Defense:
Lauzon – McAvoy
Moore – Carlo
Clifton – Miller
Goalies:
Halak
Rask
What/Who to Watch
- Boston Bruins’ forward David Pastrnak missed the first two games between these teams, but will most likely be in their lineup tonight. He has four goals and 12 total points in 15 games against the Devils in his career. So far this season, he has 10 points in his first seven games, including five goals. Last season Pastrnak had 48 goals, which was enough to tie Alex Ovechkin for the Maurice Richard Memorial Trophy.
- On Tuesday, the New Jersey Devils line of Janne Kuokkanen, Pavel Zacha, and Nick Merkley lit it up. Each member of that line had at least a point, with Kuokkanen having three assists. Janne has led the Devils with five assists and six points in his last five games. Expect that line to stick together for now. Zacha and Merkley have also been turning it on recently. Zacha has five points in his last six and Merkley has three in his first four games this season.
- Kyle Palmieri has somewhat struggled to start the season, at least for his standards. He currently only has four points, all assists in his first nine games this year. He has been better recently though. So far this season he has a five-on-five Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of 51.47 and Expected Goals percentage (xG%) of 53.61. He also has 20 high danger chances this season, showing that he’s been a bit unlucky so far this season.
Tonight’s game can be found on MSG+ at 7:00 PM EST