Coming off four straight full efforts, the New Jersey Devils are more than capable of beating deflated Dallas for fifth in a row.
- New Jersey Devils (8-3-3, 19 pts)
- Dallas Stars (6-6-4, 16 pts)
- NHL, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 8:30 p.m. ET, MSG+
- American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Beating two teams in two back-to-back home-and-home series, the Devils have put up points in nine of their last 10 games, bringing them to the top of the Wild Card seed fourth in the Metropolitan Division and seventh overall in the league.
What do the Devils now need to do to keep the wins and points coming?
Score. Simple. It’s as simple as that.
One game against Carolina they scored four goals. One game against Buffalo, they scored four goals. One game against Carolina they scored just two with a shootout victory and just one prior to beating Buffalo in overtime 2-1. The Devils have shown a handful of positives, two of which were shining in their last four games.
Cory Schneider and Keith Kinkaid Can Hold Down the Fort
Without the goaltending tandem, the Devils would be getting blown out in these games. The Devils have put up three or more goals in only five of their first 14 games. That is an incredibly low number considering they are 8-3-3 and that they lost one of those games with three goals.
The Defense Can Score
The Devils have struggled with constructing an effective defensive core in front of their own and the opponents net. Not to discredit Schneider but his numbers couldn’t be as great as they are without the defense in front of him. On top of showcasing sound defense, they are also contributing assists and goals, especially in the last four games.
In their first game against Carolina, Greene popped in an empty net goal … impressive because he flung it across the ice from right in front of his own net mouth. In the 4-1 victory against the Hurricanes, John Moore provided an assist. Against Buffalo, Yohann Auvitu scored his first NHL goal, and Andy Greene scored a beautiful overtime penalty shot goal. The last of the four
The last of the four-game winning streak had the most offense from the defense. Kyle Quincey scored the first goal with an assist from Severson. The second goal, by rookie Nick Lappin featured an assist from Ben Lovejoy. Kyle Palmieri scored the third goal with another assist from Severson, and the fourth was scored by defenseman John Moore.
The Devils have a deflated Stars team to compete against on the road this Tuesday. Sitting below average at 6-6-4, Dallas comes as a good contender for New Jersey to continue their winning streak. Dallas has only held one team to just a goal and is -11 in “goals for” versus “goals against.” With the defense creating the plays and Schneider building a brick wall game after game, New Jersey is looking good for five straight on Tuesday night.
