Tonight, the New Jersey Devils visit the Chicago Blackhawks in their first matchup of the season. The Devils are coming off a three-game homestand, including their most recent overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Monday, Nov. 10, their first loss at home.
Related: How the Devils are Thriving Despite Countless Injuries
The Blackhawks will kick off a four-game homestand riding a three-game winning streak, including Sunday’s 5-1 victory against the Detroit Red Wings. With several days of rest at home, Chicago should be fresh heading into tonight’s contest.
Devils Storylines
Dougie Hamilton and Connor Brown did not travel with the Devils. Brown has been injured since the California road trip on Oct. 30, while Hamilton will be out for at least a week as of Nov. 8.
Per Amanda Stein, the Devils will be splitting up their road trip. After the game in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Nov. 15, the Devils will head back to New Jersey before they fly south to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, Nov. 18. Although Brown and Hamilton are not with the team now, there is a chance one or both of them could travel with the team to finish out the road trip in Florida.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe changed some of the lines at practice. Jack Hughes has two new wingers, Arseni Gritsyuk and Dawson Mercer. Jesper Bratt moves to the right wing on the second line, while Stefan Noesen moves to the right wing on the third. This third line is one Keefe ran against the Islanders and found success.
The player to watch in this game is Simon Nemec. He scored a buzzer-beater on Monday to force overtime. Although the Devils lost, Nemec gave the Devils a fighting chance until the end. This goal was also his first of the season. With nine points in 16 games, look for Nemec to increase that total tonight.
Team Stats
New Jersey Devils
Season Record: 11-4-1
Top Scorers:
- Jack Hughes – 10 goals (G), 8 assists (A), 18 points (P)
- Jesper Bratt – 5 G, 11 A, 16 P
- Dawson Mercer – 8 G, 7 A, 15 P
- Timo Meier – 5 G, 8 A, 13 P
- Nico Hischier – 3 G, 8 A, 11 P
Goalie Stats:
- Jake Allen – 6-2-0, 2.29 goals-against average (GAA), .914 save percentage (SV%)
- Jacob Markstrom – 4-2-1, 3.82 GAA, .872 SV%
- Nico Daws – 1-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .968 SV%
Chicago Blackhawks
Season Record: 8-5-3
Top Scorers:
- Connor Bedard – 9 G, 16 A, 25 P
- Tyler Bertuzzi – 9 G, 5 A, 14 P
- Andre Burakovsky – 7 G, 7 A, 14 P
- Ryan Donato – 6 G, 5 A, 11 P
- Frank Nazar – 5 G, 6 A, 11 P
Goalie Stats:
- Spencer Knight – 6-3-2, 2.33 GAA, .926 SV%
- Arvid Soderblom – 2-2-1, 2.63 GAA, .913 SV%
Projected Lineups
(Subject to change before puck drop)
As per The Hockey Writers’ projected lineup article.
New Jersey Devils
Arseni Gritsyuk — Jack Hughes — Dawson Mercer
Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Jesper Bratt
Ondrej Palat — Cody Glass — Stefan Noesen
Paul Cotter — Luke Glendening — Zack MacEwen
Brenden Dillon — Luke Hughes
Jonas Siegenthaler — Simon Nemec
Dennis Cholowksi — Colton White
Jacob Markstrom
Jake Allen
Scratched: Juho Lammikko
Injured: Dougie Hamilton, Connor Brown, Marc McLaughlin, Evgenii Dadonov, Brett Pesce, Johnathan Kovacevic
Chicago Blackhawks
Tyler Bertuzzi — Connor Bedard — Andre Burakovsky
Teuvo Teravinen — Ryan Greene — Ilya Mikeyev
Ryan Donato — Oliver Moore — Nick Foligno
Colton Dach — Sam Lafferty
Alex Vlasic — Sam Rinzel
Wyatt Kaiser — Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk — Connor Murphy
Louis Cervier
Spencer Knight
Arvid Soderblom
Scratched:
Injured: Frank Nazar, Jason Dickinson, Shea Weber, Laurent Brossoit
Next Up for the Devils
The Devils will continue their road trip, taking on the Washington Capitals in D.C. on Saturday, Nov. 15.
