The New Jersey Devils (5-2-1) will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (3-2-0) on Tuesday night from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The Devils are coming off a tough overtime loss to the Washington Capitals 6-5 over the weekend.
After a dismal first period against the Capitals, the Devils were able to claw back down 3-1 to tie the game thanks to a pair of goals from captain Nico Hischier. Washington would retake the lead 5-3 before the Devils scored twice in the third period to tie the game and force overtime. Tom Wilson would score in the extra period to win but getting the point in a game in which they underperformed wasn’t all that bad for the Devils.
New Jersey continues to lead the Metropolitan Division with 11 points but plenty of teams have anywhere from two-to-four games on the Devils.
Match Overview
After winning four of five games to start the season, the Devils have lost two of the past three, both losses vs. division opponents. The Devils sent down defenseman Seamus Casey to Utica of the AHL on Monday and recalled defenseman Daniil Misyul from the Comets. Misyul is expected to make his NHL debut skating on the bottom pairing with Simon Nemec against Tampa Bay.
Goaltending from Jacob Markstrom and the power play continue to be important aspects to watch for the Devils. Markstrom has allowed at least three goals in four of six starts this season. Additionally, after last game, his goals saved above expected (GSAx) sits at -1.61 the season.
The power play remains a work in progress, ranking 15th in the NHL at 20.7%. With Casey heading down to the AHL, it will be interesting to see if things get any better or stay the same. Casey’s presence on the power play was helpful but his five-on-five play made it clear he needed some more development.
The Lightning dropped their second game of the season 5-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night to fall to 3-2-0 on the season. Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed four goals through the second period and was yanked in favor of Jonas Johansson. Because of that move, there’s a chance we see Vasilevskiy start again on Tuesday against the Devils.
Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov is off to a strong start with seven goals and 10 points through the first five games. Newly-signed winger Jake Guentzel has five points in his first five contests with Tampa Bay.
Projected Lineup
New Jersey Devils
Forwards
Meier – Hischier – Mercer
Palat – Hughes – Bratt
Cotter – Haula – Noesen
Tatar – Lazar – Bastian
Defense
Dillon – Hamilton
Siegenthaler – Kovacevic
Misyul – Nemec
Goalies
Markstrom
Allen
Tampa Bay Lightning
Forwards
Guentzel – Point – Kucherov
Hagel – Cirelli – Chaffee
Geekie – Paul – Atkinson
Girgensons – Glendening – Eyssimont
Defense
Hedman – Moser
McDonagh – Cernak
Lilleberg – Raddysh
Goalies
Vasilevskiy
Johansson
Nikita Kucherov. (photo by Getty Images)
What to Watch For
Can Devils handle Lightning top line?
This will be the key matchup and can dictate the entire game. With the Devils at home, head coach Sheldon Keefe will have last line change. It will be interesting to see who matches up against the Lightning top line of Guentzel, Point, and Kucherov. Likely it will be the Hischier line but we saw the top-six get shuffled a bit. With Tatar off the first line, that top Devils line becomes a bit less responsible defensively.
Given the Lightning have allowed five goals in back-to-back games, we should be looking for offense from the Devils on Tuesday night.
Can the Power Play Get Consistent Success?
The Lightning rank 24th on the penalty kill through five games this season. The Devils have found some success here and there on the man-advantage but it remains a work in progress overall. This feels like a potential breakout spot for this unit given how the Bolts have played and who might be in net on the road.
Where to Watch
The game has a bit of an unorthodox start time at 6:45 pm ET on MSG.