Devils Gameday Preview: Silaev Set to Make NHL Debut in D.C.

On Saturday, Nov. 14, the New Jersey Devils will take on the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. The Devils just hosted the Capitals on Thursday, where they beat the visitors 5-2. New Jersey evened the season series after they lost to the Capitals 4-2 on Oct. 16 in Washington, D.C. The Devils now have a chance to take the lead.

Devils Storylines

On Friday, the Devils recalled defenseman Anton Silaev from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Utica Comets. This season is the 20-year-old’s first in the Devils system, and he has played in 12 AHL games and recorded four assists. With a plus-8 rating, Silaev is continuing to develop his defensive skills in Utica.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe spoke to Silaev’s call-up, stating, “He’s probably getting this opportunity sooner than we had thought that he would, and it’s just a symptom of the injuries that we have here now with injuries and illness.” Even though the Devils didn’t anticipate calling Silaev up so soon, he has a chance to make a big difference on defense tonight in D.C.

His defensive partner, Vladislav Kolyochonok, made his Devils debut on Thursday. He scored a goal and earned a plus-2 rating, exhibiting strong offensive and defensive skill. Kolyochonok received the call-up to the Devils because Brett Pesce was out of the lineup with illness. Now, Kolyochonok is also out with illness, which is why Silaev was called up to the Devils.

The Devils will once again be starting Connor Hellebuyck. In his six games since he joined the team, the Devils have not dropped a single one. Hellebuyck has the chance to make it seven-straight in this game. Since he just played against the Capitals in New Jersey on Thursday, Hellebuyck is familiar with the style of play Washington utilizes. He’ll be ready to keep the Devils in this game.

The player to watch in this game is Lenni Hameenaho. He made his season debut on Thursday against the Capitals and scored the second Devils’ goal of the game to tie it. The Devils are continuing to play him on the fourth line in this game. Hameenaho will make sure his time with the Devils does not go to waste.

Team Stats

New Jersey Devils
Season Record: 14-6-0

Top Scorers:

1. Jack Hughes – 10 goals (G), 17 assists (A), 27 points (P)
2. Jesper Bratt – 4 G, 16 A, 20 P
3. Arseny Gritsyuk – 8 G, 8 A, 16 P
4. Nico Hischier – 8 G, 5 A, 13 P
5. Luke Hughes – 6 G, 5 A, 11 P

Goalie Stats:

1. Jake Allen – 6-4-0-, 3.19 goals-against average (GAA), .881 save percentage (SV%)
2. Connor Hellebuyck – 6-0-0, 1.97 GAA, .916 SV%

Washington Capitals
Season Record: 10-7-0

1. Dylan Strome – 3 G, 12 A, 15 P
2. Jordan Kyrou – 5 G, 9 A, 14 P
3. Alex Tuch – 11 G, 2 A, 13 P
4. Ryan Leonard – 6 G, 6 A, 12 P
5. Cole Hutson – 5 G, 7 A, 12 P

Goalie Stats:

1. Logan Thompson – 7-5-0, 3.17 GAA, .888 SV%
2. Charlie Lindgren – 3-2-0, 3.08 GAA, .881 SV%

Projected Lineup

(Per NHL.com, subject to change ahead of puck drop)

New Jersey Devils

Arseny Gritsyuk — Jack Hughes — Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Luke Evangelista
Stefan Noesen — Evan Rodrigues — Connor Brown
Jesper Boqvist — Cody Glass — Lenni Hameenaho

Jonas Siegenthaler — Luke Hughes
Declan Chisholm — Dougie Hamilton
Brenden Dillon — Anton Silaev

Connor Hellebuyck
Jake Allen

Scratched: Amadeus Lombardi, Brett Pesce, Vladislav Kolyachonok

Injured: Anthony Mantha, Johnathan Kovacevic

Washington Capitals

Alex Tuch — Dylan Strome — Jordan Kyrou
Alaiksei Protas — Pierre-Luc Dubois — Tom Wilson
Alex Ovechkin — Justin Sourdif — Anthony Beauvillier
Boone Jenner — Ilya Protas — Ryan Leonard

Jakob Chychrun — Matt Roy
Martin Fehervary — Timothy Liljegren
Cole Hutson — Jack St. Ivany

Charlie Lindgren
Logan Thompson

Scratched: Ethen Frank, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Justin Holl

Injured: Rasmus Sandin, Vincent Desharnais