- The Matchup: Tampa Bay Lightning (17-11-2) @ New Jersey Devils (17-12-1)
- The Time: 7:00pm EST
- The Broadcast: MSG, Devils Hockey Radio
Last Devils Game
Well Devils Nation, it finally happened. On Tuesday night , the Devils broke their 5 game losing streak, as we all knew they would eventually. The Devils did not make it easy however. In the first period alone, the Devils were behind 2 times (1-0 and 2-1) before scoring 2 goals of their own to end the 1st period tied 2-2.
The Devils and Senators exchanged goals again in 2nd period to start the 3rd tied at 3-3. This time however, the Devils would score the only goal of the period and eventually go on to win (finally) by a score of 4-3.
It may not last long, but let’s enjoy this other bit of information for at least one day. For the first time in what feels like forever, someone besides Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier or Timo Meier scored a goal. Yes I know. I can’t believe it either. Playing like their jobs depended on it (they don’t, it’s just an expression), Connor Brown, Cody Glass and Arseny Gritsyuk led the Devils on offense. Brown? 3 assists. Gritsyuk? 1 goal and 2 assists. Glass? A goal and an assist, including the game winner. Even Paul “I forgot I’m not only allowed to score in the shootout” Cotter got in on the action with his 3rd goal of the season.
While I’d like to keep it positive today, if you want a laugh, think about this. Simon Nemec scored his 7th goal of the season on Tuesday. That’s not really funny on its own. What IS hilarious though is that Nemec, now has more goals than Stone Hands Palat, Soft Hands Only in the Shootout Cotter, and I Don’t Think My Groin Surgery Was Successful Noesen combined. That’s right folks. Nemec and his $918k salary has produced more offense than 3 players making a combined $9.5 million this year. Money well spent!
Last Lightning Game
Like the Devils, Tampa Bay also won on Tuesday night on the road. The Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens by a score of 6-1. After the 1st period, the Lightning held a commanding 3-0 lead. The 2 teams traded goals in the second to start the 3rd period with the Lightning up 4-1. Tampa Bay added 2 more goals in the last period and that was all she wrote.
The Lightning had their own mini-struggle, prior to last night. Before their win against the Canadiens, they had lost their previous 4 games in a row, including 2 back to back shutout losses. I say “mini” because prior to their 4 game losing streak they had won 7 games in a row. Hopefully their win on Tuesday was not the beginning of a new streak starting tonight.
One other item to note on the goaltending front. Jonas Johansson started the last 3 games in a row for the Lightning. I would assume that the Devils will face Vasilevskiy tonight, but that has yet to be confirmed.
Injuries, Roster for Tonight, Yada, Yada, Yada.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there have been no updates regarding the roster for tonight, goalies, or injuries. Jacob Markstrom has started 3 out of the last 4 games, so it’s possible Jake Allen gets the start tonight. After the number of times Markstrom was run into against Ottawa, it wouldn’t surprise me if he got/wanted a rest tonight. At the same time, this season has shown us that anything can happen.
Barring any updates that were not announced as of Wednesday, there were no new injures on Tuesday night against Ottawa. There were also no new updates on any of the players currently out (Hughes, Pesce, Dadonov, etc.). I would expect no new changes here either, but again, we will have to wait and see if any news comes out this afternoon before the game tonight.
The last question mark for tonight will most likely be, will Colton White play again tonight. Let’s hope so.
Grimace’s Prediction and 2025-2026 Record Tracker
After finally ending their 5 game losing streak, I finally saw Grimace smile for the first time in a while. He believes the Devils have exorcised the demons and will get another win tonight.
Grimace’s 2025-2026 Season Prediction record currently stands at 9-7-0.
Your Take
When the Devils were winning, we all knew it wouldn’t last forever. The same was said about the 5 game losing streak. With that streak now behind them, it would be nice if they could win a few games in a row, starting tonight. Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below and thanks for reading!
In a shameless bit of non hockey related self promotion (approved by Chris – thanks Chris), I wanted to plug my brand new podcast on here, if any of you are interested in listening. We have a light hearted, fun discussion about any movies, music or video games mostly from the 1980s and 1990s. Please feel free to listen to us on any of the formats below and any feedback is welcome (positive and negative). Also, please follow us and subscribe, even if you think we stink. 🙂