The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (27-22-2) at the Seattle Kraken (22-19-9)
The Time: 3:00 PM EST
The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN, Radio — Devils Hockey Network
3 Points Out
Since the New York Islanders lost yesterday to the Buffalo Sabres, who are now fourth in the Eastern Conference with their outstanding offense under Lindy Ruff, the New Jersey Devils are now only three points out of eighth place.
Yes, four teams have 57 points, in limbo on the bubble, between the Devils and Islanders. But no, the Devils should not care. A win will pull them to within one point of a playoff spot today.
The Devils are also on a three-game win streak for the first time since late November, when they beat the Red Wings, Blues, and Sabres from November 24 to 28. Perhaps more notably, their wins against the Oilers and Canucks this week are the first time they have had consecutive regulation wins since October, when they won eight straight in regulation during their nine-game winning streak, which ended with the overtime win over Colorado that featured Brett Pesce’s untimely hand injury. Truly, I am most concerned by the team’s reliance on overtime for wins while not forcing enough of their losses to the three-on-three for an extra point. But still, they are three points out.
Kraken With Similar Offensive Troubles
Do not expect a high-scoring affair today. The Seattle Kraken have scored just 138 goals, which is five more than the Devils have scored to this point despite Seattle having played one fewer game. On the other hand, Seattle has allowed among the fewest goals against in the league, with just 148 against to date. By comparison, the Devils are -22 in goals scored. This is unacceptable for the Devils one way or another, as they have so much money invested into defense and goaltending that anything other than a top-10 defense should be considered an abject failure.
To their advantage, the Devils’ core is still built to score more than Seattle. Matty Beniers leads the Kraken in points with 33, while Jordan Eberle leads them in goals with 17 (also with 32 points…35 year olds are allowed to score?). Jared McCann, however, who missed 24 games with an injury, is already up to 12 goals — so he will be dangerous on the ice. That trio of McCann, Beniers, and Eberle is likely to be Nico Hischier’s task for the afternoon, as the Devils’ top scorer continues to play in a shutdown role because of the difficulty of finding a defensive fourth line center. On the other side, Chandler Stephenson and Frederick Gaudreau eat up defensive minutes so Beniers and Shane Wright don’t have to, though neither have been that good at it this season. Stephenson, in particular, is playing a far cry from his earlier days in Vegas, though he is still a legitimate power play threat playing around 20 minutes a night.
Ace Up the Sleeve
The Devils’ third line of Arseny Gritsyuk, Cody Glass, and Lenni Hameenaho need to play more minutes. In three games together, they have created multiple goals and have had an impossibly high expected goals percentage, which has trended towards literal perfect levels when Hameenaho is on the ice. Between Gritsyuk’s measurable ability to tilt the ice, Cody Glass’s unsung goal scoring ability, and Hameenaho’s youthful skill and professional intensity, the Devils have a real third scoring line on their hands.
Whether this line ends up against Wright or Gaudreau today, they need to win their matchup, just as Hischier or Hughes need to win their matchup against Stephenson (though I expect Hischier to be going up against Beniers). Until this team shows it can combine a shutdown effort with a serious, NHL-level offensive attack, it will be up to this fast, skilled, young line to make up for what the veterans are not doing. I hope for another great game from them.
Note on The Storm
I hope that everyone is home by now, if you are within the path of the winter storm enveloping the eastern United States today. Thankfully, the Devils are out west, or this would have likely been a postponed match. On our end at All About the Jersey, we will try to make sure that a game recap gets up today, but I am unsure about the power impacts. To the south, ice will threaten to cause multi-day power outages, while I expect to have about a foot of snow or more by the time this game ends, with snow falling at over two inches per hour for a decent stretch of the early afternoon. I will make sure the gamethread gets up, but in the case of widespread outages, the recap may just be a highlight-based discussion page. Hopefully, my internet is still on by 3:00.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of today’s game? Will you be able to watch? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.