On Sunday, Jan. 11, the New Jersey Devils are getting ready to take on the Winnipeg Jets. The Devils extended their losing streak to three straight games when they fell 4-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. Let’s see if they can finally get on the right track on this road trip.
Related: Devils’ Stefan Noesen to Undergo Knee Surgery
The Jets just snapped an 11-game losing streak with a 5-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings. This game marks the penultimate of a five-game homestand for the Jets. With a win in front of a hometown crowd on Friday, they’ll look to repeat this tonight.
Devils Storylines
The biggest news story heading into this game is the return of Johnathan Kovacevic. He has yet to play a game this season, as he suffered a knee injury in the playoffs last season against the Carolina Hurricanes. He needed surgery and was recovering from it throughout the offseason and the beginning of this season.
Kovacevic has been a participant in several Devils’ practices already, which was a strong indicator that he was getting closer to a return. At New Jersey’s practice ahead of this game, head coach Sheldon Keefe said if he is ready, he will play.
With all points indicating Kovacevic could make his return, the Devils decided to scratch Dougie Hamilton in this game. This was a tough decision for the Devils, but Keefe stated he is trying to give Simon Nemec an opportunity now that he is back. He is also not willing to take Brett Pesce out of the lineup, which makes sense since he has been stellar for the Devils’ defense as of late. This leaves Hamilton out, and as trade rumors circulate, the prospect of him going to another team grows stronger with this decision.
Kovacevic is not the only player to make a return to the lineup in this game. Forward Evgenii Dadonov could be back in the lineup if he feels good to do so, too. He was injured in the Devils’ season opener against the Hurricanes with a hand injury, but made his return to the team on Nov. 18. Just four games later, he was injured again. Now, since Stefan Noesen is about to undergo knee surgery, Dadonov has a spot in the lineup. Hopefully, he doesn’t suffer any more injuries and can keep his spot.
The player to watch in this game is Dawson Mercer. He has been a large part of the Devils’ offense this season, currently in third place in the overall team point-scoring standings. He scored the one goal against the Hurricanes on Sunday, Jan. 4. Mercer needs to get his offensive power back to try to help the Devils get their first win in four games.
Team Stats
New Jersey Devils
Season Record: 22-20-2
Top Scorers:
- Jesper Bratt – 9 goals (G), 24 assists (A), 33 points (P)
- Nico Hischier – 12 G, 20 A, 32 P
- Dawson Mercer – 11 G, 15 A, 26 P
- Timo Meier – 12, G, 13 A, 25 P
- Jack Hughes – 11 G, 14 A, 25 P
Goalie Stats:
- Jake Allen – 11-10-1, 2.61 goals-against average (GAA), .911 save percentage (SV%)
- Jacob Markstrom – 10-10-1, 3.48 GAA, .878 SV%
- Nico Daws – 1-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .968 SV%
Winnipeg Jets
Season Record: 16-22-5
Top Scorers:
- Mark Scheifele – 22 G, 30 A, 52 P
- Kyle Connor – 21 G, 31 A, 52 P
- Gabriel Vilardi – 17 G, 22 A, 39 P
- Josh Morrissey – 7 G, 27 A, 34 P
- Nino Niederreiter – 6 G, 10 A, 16 P
Goalie Stats:
- Connor Hellebuyck – 9-12-4, 2.69 GAA, .901 SV%
- Eric Comrie – 7-9-1, 3.33 GAA, .884 SV%
- Thomas Milic – 0-1-0, 3.46 GAA, .871 SV%
Projected Lineups
(Subject to change before puck drop)
As per The Hockey Writers’ projected lineup article.
New Jersey Devils
Jack Hughes — Nico Hischier — Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier — Dawson Mercer — Evgenii Dadonov
Arseni Gritsyuk — Cody Glass — Connor Brown
Ondrej Palat — Luke Glendening — Paul Cotter
Luke Hughes — Brett Pesce
Jonas Siegenthaler — Johnathan Kovacevic
Brenden Dillon — Simon Nemec
Jacob Markstrom
Jake Allen
Scratched: Dougie Hamilton, Juho Lammikko, Colton White
Injured: Stefan Noesen, Zack MacEwen, Marc McLaughlin
Winnipeg Jets
Kyle Connor — Mark Scheifele — Alex Iafallo
Cole Perfetti — Jonathan Toews — Gabriel Vilardi
Nino Niederreiter — Adam Lowry — Vladislav Namestnikov
Cole Koepke — Danil Zhilkin — Tanner Pearson
Josh Morrissey — Dylan Demelo
Dylan Samberg — Colin Miller
Logan Stanley — Luke Schenn
Scratched: Gustav Nyquist
Injured: Haydn Fleury, Morgan Barron, Neal Pionk
Next Up for the Devils
The Devils will conclude their road trip on Monday, Jan. 12, when they take on the Minnesota Wild.
