Overview
After a heart-thumping 5-4 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday, the New Jersey Devils (4-2-1) will look to build momentum against the Minnesota Wild (3-3-2) at the Prudential Center on Sunday. New Jersey has gotten out to a solid start to the season but has shown some inconsistency. They’ll look to run a tighter ship against a flailing Wild squad.
The Devils are tied for second in the Metropolitan Division with nine points. The Wild are tied for third in the Central with eight.
Lines and Pairings
Devils –
Check our social media pages closer to game time for New Jersey’s lineup.
Nico Hischier was ruled out by head coach Lindy Ruff.
Wild –
Forwards
Kaprizov-Hartman-Zuccarello
Johansson-Eriksson Ek-Maroon
Foligno-Rossi-Lettieri
Merrill-Dewar-Ducharme
Defense
Brodin-Faber
Middleton-Mermis
Hunt-Addison
Goalies
Fleury
Gustavsson
Keys to the Game
Hischier Out
Head coach Lindy Ruff announced yesterday that captain Nico Hischier will be held out of tonight’s game. Hischier took a nasty hit to the head from Sabres’ defenseman Connor Clifton, forcing him to exit the game temporarily. He returned after seemingly clearing concussion protocol, but exited the game permanently in the third for “precautionary reasons.”
Hischier managed to get a few shifts in before he left the game, so who knows what that means for his return. In the meantime, Michael McLeod will likely see an increase in time.
Special Teams to Make a Difference
The Devils and Wild have had opposite luck with their special teams this season. On the one hand, New Jersey has dominated special teams, especially the power play. They are scoring at a fantastic 40% clip on the man advantage, adding another goal on Friday. Lindy Ruff may have to shake up one of the units in Hischier’s absence, but that shouldn’t be a problem with Tyler Toffoli and the Hughes brothers lurking in the offensive zone.
Meanwhile, their penalty kill hasn’t been amazing, killing off advantages at a 73.1% clip, good for 25th in the league. This unit shined on Friday, however, killing both Buffalo power plays and adding a goal from Erik Haula on a great read.
The Wild, on the other hand, haven’t gotten the most out of their special teams. They went 0-for-5 against the Capitals on Friday, lowering their average to 13% for the season. Their penalty kill hasn’t been much better at a 72% kill rate. New Jersey will look for a path to victory through its special teams.
Where to Watch
Tonight’s game can be seen on MSGSN at 5:00 pm ET.