The New Jersey Devils (33-23-6) wrap up their five-game road trip against the Dallas Stars (39-19-2) on Tuesday night. New Jersey is coming off a 2-0 loss in Vegas on Sunday, but more importantly, Jack Hughes left the game with what appeared to be a serious arm or shoulder injury. He flew back to New Jersey on Monday for further evaluation, per Gabriel Trevino of NJ.com.
This is the second and final meeting of the season between the Devils and Stars. Dallas picked up a 4-2 win in Newark in the first game back from the Four Nations Faceoff break.
Match Overview
The Devils did not hold a practice on Monday, so there has been no further update on Jack Hughes. However, with him returning to New Jersey for evaluation, Hughes will be out of the lineup in Dallas, if not longer. Check out our social channels for any pregame updates from the team.
One positive injury note is that Jacob Markstrom played well in his return to the lineup on Sunday. The Swedish netminder turned aside 22 of 24 shots faced. However, Jake Allen is likely to get the start in Dallas with Markstrom still working back into game shape. Allen owns a .906 save percentage and 11.21 goals saved above expected (GSAx) this season.
Meanwhile, Dallas has gone 3-1-0 since beating New Jersey two weeks ago. Roope Hintz has been red-hot since the break, tallying 11 points in five games, including a career-high four assist game against the Kings last Friday. Wyatt Johnston is coming off a hat trick in Sunday’s win while Jason Robertson netted a hat trick of his own against the Islanders last Sunday.
Jake Oettinger is expected to be in net on Tuesday. The 26-year-old goaltender has posted a .911 save percentage and a 15.04 GSAx this season.
Projected Lines
New Jersey Devils
Forwards
With Jack Hughes out, there is likely to be a sizable shakeup on the Devils’ forward lines. The team did not practice on Monday, so check out our social channels prior to puck drop for updated lines.
Defensemen
Hughes – Hamilton
Dillon – Nemec
Pesce – Kovacevic
Goaltenders
Allen
Markstrom
Dallas Stars
Forwards
Robertson – Hintz – Stankoven
Marchment – Duchene – Granlund
Benn – Johnston – Dadonov
Back – Steel – Bourque
Defensemen
Harley – Lyubushkin
Lindell – Ceci
Smith – Dumba
Goaltenders
Oettinger
DeSmith
What to Watch For
Nico Hischier
There is no way to sugarcoat it: with Jack Hughes out, the Devils need to rely heavily on their captain Nico Hischier. In the last five games since play resumed after the 4 Nations Face-off, Hischier has posted a 48.52 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) at five-on-five. That mark is ninth among New Jersey skaters.
Hischier is also below 50% in terms of scoring chances and high-danger scoring chances for. At his best, Hischier is an elite, two-way player that can affect the ice over all 200 feet. Without Hughes, the Devils will need Hischier to be at his very best, and that includes tilting the ice in New Jersey’s favor, even when tasked with the toughest matchups.
Erik Haula
Just as New Jersey needs Nico Hischier at his best, the same is true for Erik Haula. Haula, who has had a disappointing year, is currently the team’s third-line center, and seems to be a likely candidate to step into the top six with Hughes out. If that is to happen though, Haula needs to turn his game around quickly.
Since the 4 Nations Face-off, Haula has managed just a 19.28 xGF%, the lowest mark among Devils’ skaters by a wide margin. No other skater is below a 31.64 xGF%. Haula has also surrendered a 33-10 margin in scoring chances (23.26%) and a 17-2 edge in high-danger chances (10.53%). His high-danger rate is also lowest on the team, while his scoring chance rate is only better than Justin Dowling’s 16.67%.
Special Teams
Special teams were a major issue in Sunday’s loss to Vegas. The New Jersey power play failed to score on its only opportunity while both of Vegas’ goals came on the man advantage.
For the season, the penalty kill has been a strength for New Jersey, sitting third in the league at 82.9%. With the team struggling for goals even before the Jack Hughes injury, the penalty kill will need to regain that form quickly to give the Devils a chance to win.
The Devils face a tough test against Dallas with the Stars’ penalty kill leading the league at 85.2%. Dallas’ power play is operating at a 22.8% clip, good for 14th in the league. Not to mention, there will be a shakeup on the New Jersey power play without Jack Hughes.
However, as we saw in the first meeting between these two teams, breaking even at special teams is not enough for New Jersey right now. Dallas went 1-for-3 on the man advantage while New Jersey went 1-for-4. With the Devils struggling to find their footing at five-on-five, they need to win the special teams battle to get a result on Tuesday.
Where to Watch
ESPN+ and Hulu will exclusively broadcast the Devils and Stars. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 pm ET.
Note: All statistics via Natural Stat Trick.