The New Jersey Devils (40-35-3), freshly eliminated from postseason contention, will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins (40-22-16) on Thursday.
Game Overview
After a poor showing against the Flyers on Tuesday, the Devils are now eliminated from the playoffs. The offense failed to show up when they needed it the most, and Jacob Markström struggled in the 5-1 defeat. With four games left, though, the Devils will have the chance to play spoiler for a lot of playoff contenders.
Pittsburgh seems not to be one of those teams, however. Despite having the same number of wins as New Jersey (40), the Penguins sit firmly in second place of the Metropolitan Division. A win against New Jersey would officially clinch a playoff spot for Pittsburgh, and a win, combined with a Flyers loss, would clinch home ice through the first round.
Unsurprisingly, the Penguins will be led into the playoffs by their captain, Sidney Crosby. The 38-year-old veteran has registered 29 goals and 72 points in 66 games this year, marking the 21st consecutive year he will finish over a point per game.
This will be the fourth and final time these two teams will meet this year. So far, the home team has won every game, with the Devils winning 2-1 in a shootout in Newark and the Penguins winning two 4-1 games in Pittsburgh.
Lineups
Devils
Forwards
Meier-Hischier-Mercer
Bratt-Hughes-Brown
Hameenaho-Glass-Bjugstad
Cotter-McLaughlin-Halonen
Defense
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Hughes-Kovacevic
Dillon-Nemec
Goalies
Allen
Markstrom
Penguins
Forwards
Chinakhov-Crosby-Rust
Novak-Rakell-Malkin
Mantha-Kindel-Brazeau
Soderblom-Dewar-Acciari
Defense
Wotherspoon-Karlsson
Girard-Letang
Shea-Clifton
Goalies
Silovs
Murashov
Keys to the Game
Divisional Struggles
The Devils’ matchup against the Penguins will be their final division matchup of the season. However, the Devils will certainly not miss playing these teams. The Devils are 7-16-2 versus Metropolitan Division teams this year. A loss to the Penguins would mean the Devils have lost four season series against division teams, with zero sweeps against divisional teams.
Home Ice
Whether you believe it or not, after Thursday there is only one more home game left in the 2025-26 season. After winning seven in a row on home ice to begin the year, the Devils have gone 13-16-3 the rest of the way. They’ll look to send their fans home with a couple more memories to end the season.
Where to Watch
Thursday night’s game can be seen on MSGSN at 7:00 pm ET.