Overview
The New Jersey Devils will look to start off December in the win column, something they didn’t do very well the last half of November. That won’t be an easy task, however, going against the 15-6-1 Minnesota Wild. The game also will be the first half of a back-to-back, so starting off with a win is almost a necessity.
Projected Lines
Devils
Be sure to check back to our social media pages for the latest line combinations. The above is the projected forward combinations.
Wild
Forwards
Kaprizov – Hartman – Pitlick
Greenway – Eriksson Ek – Foligno
Fiala – Rask – Addison
Duhaime – Sturm – Bjugstad
Defensemen
Brodin – Dumba
Goligoski – Merrill
Benn – Kulikov
Goaltenders
Kahkonen
Talbot
What to Watch
Ty Smith
This is more of a negative then anything given his weak play this season. Defensively, Smith has been a massive liability and it seems to have reached the point where it is just bringing his entire game down. Yes, he is a young player and there will be growing pains, but seeing regression to this level is a bit unnerving at this point of the season. A strong performance would do wonders for his confidence.
Line Combinations
A fairly vague topic, but with Jack Hughes being slowly worked back into the mix, some of the line decisions being made by head coach Lindy Ruff have been a bit head-scratching. Nico Hischier and Hughes just aren’t the proper type of players to be on the same line, and Hughes clearly isn’t nearly as comfortable playing on the wing as he would be at center. This also has trickle down effect on the rest of the lines, so a hopeful speedy return to center would do good for the entire team.
Where to Watch
Tonight’s nights game will be available on MSG+2 at 8:00 PM EST.