Devils Looking To Clinch Playoff Berth With Win In Buffalo

Jack Hughes. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Time to once again hit the road. After suffering a heartbreaking defeat to the Minnesota Wild, the New Jersey Devils (45-18-5) take on the Buffalo Sabres (33-31-6). This is the second of three meetings this season. New Jersey won the first matchup in Buffalo by a score of 3-1.  Buffalo is playing with much desperation as they continue their playoff push. They’ve fallen back as of late, but are still technically in the mix. 

New Jersey continues it’s chase for the division crown. Currently, the team is sitting back only two points away, it is within reach. Carolina has a gauntlet of a schedule this week, and with the Devils playing against non-playoff clubs, taking advantage is a must.

The injury bug has plagued the Devils as of late. Nathan Bastian and Curtis Lazar likely remain out. Meanwhile, Tomas Tatar was injured in the team’s last game and did not practice yesterday (“maintenance day”).

Projected Lineups 

New Jersey Devils –

Forwards

Meier-Hischier-Bratt

Haula-Hughes-Mercer

Palat-Boqvist-Tatar

Foote-McLeod-Sharangovich

Defense

Siegenthaler-Hamilton

Graves-Marino

Bahl-Severson

Goalies

Vanecek

Schmid

Buffalo Sabres –

Forwards 

Skinner-Thompson-Tuch

Peterka-Cozens-Quinn

Mittelstadt-Jost-Olofsson

Girgensons-Krebs-Okposo

Defense

Dahlin-Clague

Power-Jokiharju

Stillman-Lyubushkin

Goalies

Luukkonen

Anderson

What To Watch For

The Sabres’ Top Line

If there is one line that the Devils need to key on in this matchup, it is the Sabres’ top line. Everyone knows how good Tage Thompson is. But he is flanked by a resurgent Jeff Skinner and Buffalo native Alex Tuch.

The trio are one of the better lines in the league. They generate a ton of goals and rank second among all qualified lines with 41 goals as a line. Their expected goals percentage (xG%) is middle of the pack, but they are scoring better than expected. It’ll be a line to watch for as they will be leaned on heavily for production. 

Jack Hughes

Hughes was producing in the beginning of gauntlet of a schedule, but he has cooled off the last three games. Production has not been there, but it is not for a lack of effort. Hughes ranks tops among Devils’ forwards in individual expected goals (expected goals generated by a single player). He is also third in scoring chances with nine and has even gone to the high-danger areas.

On the surface, it may look like a slump, but the superstar center is still playing well. He’s certainly one to watch for as he looks to breakout against a Sabres team that has allowed seven-plus goals three times this month. 

Where To Watch 

Tonight’s puck drop is at 7:00 PM ET and is on MSG.

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