Overview
After another frustrating loss to the Washington Capitals last night, the New Jersey are set to take on the Montreal Canadiens in the second game of this back-to-back tonight. It was business as usual yesterday, with the Devils getting the edge in play but falling due to poor goaltending. New Jersey will look to rectify this against Montreal, who has the worst scoring offense in the league.
With last night’s loss, the Devils now hold a record of 23-37-5 and are in eighth place in the Metropolitan Division. The Canadiens own a record of 18-37-10 and sit in eighth place in the Atlantic Division.
Projected Lines and Pairings
Devils’
Forwards:
Sharangovich-Hughes-Mercer
Tatar-Hischier-Bratt
Vesey-Boqvist-Johnsson
Greer-McLeod-Bastian
Defense:
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Graves-Severson
Bahl-Subban
Goalies:
Gillies
Daws
Canadiens’
Forwards:
Caufield-Suzuki-Anderson
Hoffman-Pitlick-Dauphin
Pitlick-Dvorak-Armia
Pezzetta-Evans-Byron
Defense:
Romanov-Savard
Edmundson-Wideman
Lagesson-Schueneman
Goalies:
Allen
Montembeault
Keys to the Game
Jesper Bratt
Surprise, surprise, Jesper Bratt is having another fantastic run. With a goal in yesterday’s loss, Bratt extended his point streak to six games. The Swedish forward has had a career-year so far, potting 22 goals and 42 assists for 64 points in 62 games played. Additionally, Bratt has outstanding underlying metrics, with a 55.57 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 58.91 expected-goals for percentage (xGF%). With the way things are going, Bratt is sure to factor into tonight’s game.
Jack Hughes
But you can’t mention Bratt without Hughes, because he’s also on a great run as of late. He has 13 points in 12 games since the beginning of March. The young Hughes has had a phenomenal season, pouring in 22 goals and 30 assists for 52 points in 45 games played. He’s also posted respectable analytics, with a 52.50 CF% and a 54.23 xG%.
Tonight’s game can be seen on MSG at 7:00 PM EDT.