Preview
Tonight, the New Jersey Devils lace up the skates in Calgary tonight to take on the Flames at 9PM EST. New Jersey is 2-8 in their last ten games, coming off a devastating loss to the New York Rangers, in which they blew a two-goal lead to lose 4-2. This is somewhat expected, though, as the Devils have faced injury problems, and are trying to give prospects like Michael McLeod a chance to prove themselves in the NHL. The Flames, on the other hand, are currently 4th in the league with 91 points but have been streaky as of late. Calgary was on a seven-game win streak, followed by a four-game losing streak, which they broke when they beat the Golden Knights on Sunday.
What to Watch
Considering injuries and the current standing of the Devils with 13 games left in the season, New Jersey has been routinely playing an almost entirely AHL roster. You can expect veterans like Travis Zajac, Kyle Palmieri, and Blake Coleman to produce most of the offense tonight. Though, forwards like Kenny Agostino and Eric Tangradi have shown that they can be good bottom six forwards for the Devils in the future. Then there are the prospects; Joey Anderson and John Quenneville have shown promise, but players like Michael McLeod, Blake Pietila, Brandon Gignac, and Nick Lappin have yet to do much. New Jersey’s defense shouldn’t change much, so look for Severson and Greene to play heavy minutes, while Santini and newly acquired Carrick play increased roles.
Mackenzie Blackwood will get the start tonight when the New Jersey Devils take on the Calgary Flames
On the Flames side of things, they’re coming off a six-goal night in which the second line accounted for five of those goals. Matthew Tkachuk had his first career hat trick, Mikael Backlund added another two, and Michael Frolik walked away with four assists. Don’t forget this team still has the great top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Elias Lindholm. The Flames also let up the fourth least shots in the NHL, with stars like Mark Giordano and Noah Hanifin on defense.
Projected Lines
New Jersey Devils
Coleman-Zajac-Palmieri
Tangradi-McLeod-Lappin
Agostino-Rooney-Noesen
Quenneville-Pietila-Anderson
Greene-Severson
Butcher-Carrick
Yakovlev/White-Santini
Goalie: Blackwood
Calgary Flames
Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm
Tkachuk-Backlund-Frolik
Bennett-Jankowski-Czarnik
Mangiapane-Ryan-Hathaway
Giordano-Brodie
Hanifin-Hamonic
Fantenberg-Andersson
Goalie: Rittich
When and Where to Watch
9PM EST; MSG+