The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (14-6-0 overall, 5-4-0 away) at Washington Capitals (10-7-0 overall, 7-4-0 home)
The Time: 7:00 PM EDT
The Broadcast: Local TV — MSG Network; Out of Market — ESPN+, Monumental Sports Network, Fubo; Radio — Devils Hockey Network
Last Time Out
New Jersey Devils
On the front end of a home-and-home series with the Caps, the Devils earned a critical 5-2 win, powered by goals from all the Utica callups. Connor Hellebuyck was also excellent, stopping 26 of 28 shots, and likely re-angering the entire city of Winnipeg.
The win marked the Devils’ sixth win out of their last seven games, and the 12th of their last 15.
Washington Capitals
For their part, the Caps came out strong against the Devils on Thursday and actually had a 2-1 lead at one point in the game. They couldn’t pull much together after that, except for a few surges against Hellebuyck. The Caps have been very streaky so far this season, so it’s difficult to predict how they might respond to their Thursday loss. That said, I’d expect them to come out flying in their own barn.
What to Watch For
The Ongoing Struggle to Make Special Teams… Well… Special
Jared said it best through an excellent analysis yesterday: the Devils’ penalty kill needs to get its act together. This is particularly true against teams that feast on the man-advantage like Washington has (historically) had a talent for. The Capitals’ power play is not as strong as it has been in years’ past, sporting just a 19.6% success rate thus far, but I expect it to pick up as the season goes on.
Regardless, playing at home, I expect the Washington crowd to be fired up, and for that to translate to some power plays for the Capitals. The Devils have to start locking things down if they are going to succeed moving forward. As Jared said, 65.1% PK just won’t cut it for a team that wants to make a run towards and through the playoffs.
I would also say that the Devils still need to improve on the power play. The struggles of PP1 have been no secret here, though I have gained a bit of hope seeing Keefe tinker with the lines a bit. Nevertheless, all the tinkering in the world won’t matter unless the puck ends up in the back of the net, and the Devils need to capitalize on the power play much more often. They’re currently 24th in the league at 18.8%.
If you consider combined special teams success (PP% + PK%), the Devils are second-to-last in the league, above only the lowly Canucks.
I’d love to see them start righting that ship tonight.
The Kids are Alright
The Devils only had a travel day yesterday with no practice or meetings (if Sheldon Keefe’s postgame celebration is to be believed), so it’s difficult to know how the lineup might look. I’d expect the Utica callups to return to the lineup, where I am hoping to see them get on the scoresheet again. There’s also the possibility that we see Anton Silaev, as he was called up yesterday.
It might just be from a years-long thirst for secondary scoring, but seeing the moves that Sunny has made that has allowed utility players and secondary scorers to slot into the lineup where they can be effective has been an immense breath of fresh air.
Roll with the kids. Especially Noesen. Everyone loves that dude.
Professor K’s Brainy Quote for the Game
Beating a team in both games of a back-to-back is extremely difficult, especially when the back end of the series is in your opponents’ barn. Still, the Devils have proven pretty resilient so far this season and have dug two points out of some difficult situations. They’ve also played a significant number of games in a relatively short period of time and have had to show real guts and grit in that span. In that spirit, I give you “The Proof of Worth,” by Edgar Guest:
“And victory’s nothing but proof of your skill,
Veneered in a glory that’s thin,
Unless it is proof of unfaltering will,
And unless you have suffered to win.”
The Devils get a three-day break after this. They’re tired, but they’re on the verge of becoming a real wagon. Let’s see it, boys. Dig deep.
Your Thoughts
What do the Devils need to do on the penalty kill and power play against the Caps? Will the callups run the show again, or will we see the core dominate? Will the hockey-playing tree named Anton Silaev get in the game and check somebody into next week? Tell us in the comments.
Let’s go Devils!
