The Devils are, once again, playing to end another losing streak.
The New Jersey Devils have found themselves on another four-game losing streak. They have the opportunity to end it on Saturday night, but it won’t be easy.
Not only will they be playing an impressive Detroit Red Wings team, but they’ll do it without several of their important players.
Captain Nico Hischier and defensemen Ryan Graves and P.K. Subban as well as Jesper Boqvist are all still on COVID-19 protocol.
The Red Wings are in the midst of a phenomenal rebuild and could even make the playoffs thanks to their impressive youngsters like Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, and Alex Nedeljkovic. They’ve been playing great hockey and are going to give the Devils a tough time.
Offensively, both teams are below-average, but the Red Wings are better. Both haven’t been great defensively, but the Devils are superior (Detroit is a bottom-five defensive team in the league).
The penalty kill is a similar story. Both don’t do well while short-handed, but the Devils have been better. The Red Wings, however, have the Devils beat on the power play.
Neither is good on the man-advantage, but the Devils notoriously have one of the worst power plays in the league.
In terms of goaltending, the Red Wings have been better off, especially recently. Detroit has been improving while New Jersey has been regressing in net.
What makes the Red Wings such a good team is their competitiveness and perseverance. They play incredibly well as group and are more than capable of giving their opponent a very difficult time, regardless of whom it might be.
This is a good chance for the Devils to right the ship, especially since this is game one of a back-to-back, but it won’t be easy, especially given the fact that they’re undermanned.
Goaltending matchup:
DET: Thomas Greiss
Last 5 games: 1-2-0, .835 SV%, 3.20 GAA
Career vs. NJD: 10 GP, 6-4-0, .932 SV%, 1.96 GAA, 2 SO
NJD: TBD
Red Wings players to watch:
LW Lucas Raymond
Last 5 games: 5 A
This season: 30 GP, 10 G, 27 PTS
RW Tyler Bertuzzi
This season: 22 GP, 10 G, 19 PTS
Career vs. NJD: 9 GP, 2 G, 8 PTS
C Dylan Larkin
This season: 26 GP, 12 G, 25 PTS
Career vs. NJD: 15 GP, 6 G, 14 PTS
Devils players to watch:
C Jack Hughes
This season: 11 GP, 5 G, 8 PTS
RW Tomáš Tatar
Career vs. DET: 9 GP, 3 G, 11 PTS
LW Andreas Johnsson
Career vs. DET: 6 GP, 2 G, 6 PTS
