The New Jersey Devils (26-12-3) are set to take on the Anaheim Ducks (12-26-4) tonight in Southern California. The Devils are coming off a 5-3 comeback win in Carolina on Tuesday and occupy second place in the Metropolitan Division. Meanwhile, the Ducks sit last in the Pacific Division and were thumped 6-2 by the Oilers on Wednesday.
This is the second and final meeting of the year between NJ and Anaheim. Back in October, the Devils rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Ducks 4-2 in Newark for their first win of the season.
Match Overview
After a rough stretch in December, the Devils have righted the ship, going 4-1-1 in their last six games. Over that stretch, Jack Hughes has led the way with eight goals and ten points, despite being held without a point on Tuesday. Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, and Dougie Hamilton all have at least seven points as well.
With the Devils playing the front end of a back-to-back, it is possible that either Mackenzie Blackwood or Vitek Vanecek gets the start in goal. Considering Anaheim has just 28 points and is 31st in goals for per game while the Kings, Saturday’s opponent, have 56 points and are 12th in goals for per game, it makes sense to roll with Blackwood tonight and Vanecek in Los Angeles.
For the season, Blackwood has a .888 save percentage and a -2.0 goal saved above expected (GSAx). Vanecek has a .913 save percentage and a 7.89 GSAx.
On the injury front, both John Marino and Nathan Bastian skated at Thursday’s practice. Neither has an official timetable for a return. However, Marino wore a non-contact jersey, so his return is not imminent.
As for the Ducks, it has been a rough season. Anaheim is 31st in goals for per game (2.20), 32nd in goals against per game (4.12), 32nd on the power play (14.9%), and 30th on the penalty kill (71.3%). As a team, Anaheim has a league-worst 39.50 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) and a second-worst 43.63 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) at five-on-five.
Only two Ducks have cracked the 30 point plateau so far: Troy Terry (33) and Trevor Zegras (31). Lastly, 2021 third-overall pick Mason McTavish rounds out the top three with 26 points. Cam Fowler leads Ducks’ defensemen with 18 points. In net, starter John Gibson has struggled to the tune of a .896 save percentage and a -8.87 GSAx.
Projected Lines
New Jersey Devils:
Forwards-
Palat – Hischier – Bratt
Haula – Hughes – Tatar
Wood – Sharangovich – Zetterlund
Boqvist – McLeod – Mercer
Defensemen-
Siegenthaler – Hamilton
Graves – Severson
Okhotiuk – Smith
Goaltenders-
Blackwood
Vanecek
Anaheim Ducks:
Forwards-
Henrique – McTavish – Terry
Zegras – Strome – Vatrano
Comtois – Carrick – Silfverberg
Jones – Megna – Leason
Defensemen-
Fowler – Kulikov
Benoit – Klingberg
Vaakanainen – Shattenkirk
Goaltenders-
Gibson
Stolarz
What to Watch For
Ondrej Palat
In his three games since returning from injury, Ondrej Palat has yet to score a point. However, he has still played well in that timeframe. Among Devils to play in all three of those contests, Palat has the sixth-best CF% and fifth-best xGF% at five-on-five at 52.70 and 56.65, respectively.
There is some other good news for Palat when it comes to facing Anaheim. Back in October against the Ducks, the 31-year-old winger scored his first goal as a Devil, sparking a comeback win. Tonight, he will be playing on the top line with Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt, both of whom at or above a point per game pace since the Christmas Break.
With all that in mind, Palat has a great chance to find his way onto the scoresheet for the first time since his return.
New Look “Fourth” Line
Based on practice, head coach Lindy Ruff is going to roll a ‘fourth line’ of Dawson Mercer, Michael McLeod, and Jesper Boqvist. This is the same line combination that finished Tuesday’s win in Carolina. Midway through the contest, Ruff jumbled his lines, and this trio dominated at five-on-five.
In an admittedly small five-minute sample size, the Mercer, McLeod, and Boqvist trio combined to outscore Carolina 3-0. The trio also led all New Jersey forward lines with a 57.14 CF% and a staggering 91.31 xGF%. High-danger chances were also 4-0 with this line on the ice.
If the ‘fourth line’ can sustain that success, they can absolutely take over the game against a struggling Ducks team and provide the depth scoring that the Devils thrived on earlier in the season.
Dougie Hamilton
Dougie Hamilton did not have his best night on Tuesday, finishing the game with a 37.50 CF% and a 38.31 xGF% at five-on-five. Even over this recent 4-1-1 stretch, Hamilton has struggled slightly with a 48.44 CF% and a 42.36 xGF%. Despite this, however, Hamilton still has seven points in those six contests, with four coming on the power play.
Hamilton has a great chance to add to those numbers tonight. The Ducks’ penalty kill ranks 30th in the NHL at 71.3% while the Devils’ power play has connected five times in the last six games. Even with the breakdowns allowing two shorthanded goals on Tuesday, the Devils power play has been dangerous at the other end of the ice.
On top of this, the Ducks have been horrendous at controlling play at five-on-five, ranking 31st in CF% and 32nd in xGF%, respectively. Back in October, Hamilton posted a 76.74 CF% and a 79.74. Expect to see the 29-year-old blueliner much closer to those gaudy numbers tonight than he was against Carolina.
Where to Watch
Puck drop from the Honda Center is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu.
Note: All statistics via Natural Stat Trick