The New Jersey Devils are back in action tonight, Dec. 27, after the Christmas break. Before the break, they took on the New York Islanders on Long Island and lost 2-1. This is not how they wanted to start their Christmas holiday, but now they have the chance to right the ship when they host the Washington Capitals.
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This is also the Capitals’ first game back from the break. They, too, did not start their break on the right foot, after they lost 7-3 to the New York Rangers on Dec. 23. The Capitals are currently on a three-game losing streak, so the Devils could use this to their advantage.
The season series began in Washington on Nov. 15, where the Devils won 3-2 in a shootout. Let’s hope the Devils can keep the momentum rolling and take a 2-0 lead in the series tonight.
Devils Storylines
The Devils are running the same line combinations they were before the break, with Nico Hischier centering the first line and Jack Hughes centering the second. This allows Hughes to still make an impact on the ice while he reacquaints himself with the team after missing 18 games. Plus, Hughes is still playing with his partner in crime, Jesper Bratt. The important thing is that he is healthy and back on the ice.
After a poor showing from Jacob Markstrom against New York, the Devils are starting Jake Allen tonight. Markstrom made a poor choice in exiting the net to try to clear the puck, and it allowed the Islanders a free, open net to score on. Yes, these are accidents that happen, but it cost the Devils the game. Head coach Sheldon Keefe wants to make sure that doesn’t happen again tonight.
The player to watch in this game is Brett Pesce. He opened the scoring in the game against the Islanders and scored the only goal of the game. Not only that, but this was his first goal of the season. Since returning from injury, he has made a huge impact on the blue line, and now he is providing offensive power, too.
Team Stats
New Jersey Devils
Season Record: 20-16-1
Top Scorers:
- Nico Hischier – 10 goals (G), 19 assists (A), 29 points (P)
- Jesper Bratt – 6 G, 23 A, 29 P
- Dawson Mercer – 10 G, 14 A, 24 P
- Timo Meier – 11 G, 12 A, 23 P
- Jack Hughes – 11 G, 10 A, 21 P
Goalie Stats:
- Jake Allen – 10-8-0, 2.47 goals-against average (GAA), .912 save percentage (SV%)
- Jacob Markstrom – 9-8-1, 3.33 GAA, .883 SV%
- Nico Daws – 1-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .968 SV%
Washington Capitals
Season Record: 19-13-5
Top Scorers:
- Tom Wilson – 17 G, 17 A, 34 P
- Alex Ovechkin – 14 G, 17 A, 31 P
- John Carlson – 8 G, 21 A, 29 P
- Jakob Chychrun – 14 G, 14 A, 28 P
- Dylan Strome – 7 G, 20 A, 27 P
Goalie Stats:
- Logan Thompson – 14-9-3, 2.24 GAA, .917 SV%
- Charlie Lindgren – 5-4-2, 3.07 GAA, .888 SV%
Projected Lineups
(Subject to change before puck drop)
As per The Hockey Writers’ projected lineup article.
New Jersey Devils
Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Dawson Mercer
Ondrej Palat — Jack Hughes — Jesper Bratt
Arseni Gritsyuk — Cody Glass — Connor Brown
Paul Cotter — Luke Glendening — Stefan Noesen
Jonas Siegenthaler — Dougie Hamilton
Luke Hughes — Brett Pesce
Brenden Dillon — Colton White
Jacob Markstrom
Jake Allen
Scratched: Angus Crookshank, Juho Lammikko, Dennis Cholowski
Injured: Evgenii Dadonov, Zack MacEwen, Marc McLaughlin, Simon Nemec, Johnathan Kovacevic
Washington Capitals
Alex Ovechkin — Justin Sourdif — Connor McMichael
Aliaksei Protas — Dylan Strome — Ryan Leonard
Anthony Beauvillier — Nic Dowd — Ethen Frank
Brandon Duhaime — Hendrix Lapierre — Sonny Milano
Martin Fehervary — John Carlson
Jakob Chychrun — Matt Roy
Declan Chisholm — Trevor van Riemsdyk
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: Dylan McIlrath
Injured: Tom Wilson, Rasmus Sandin, Pierre-Luc Dubois
Next Up for the Devils
The Devils will have another three days off before they travel to Canada to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 30.
