Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
The New Jersey Devils return to action tonight looking to break out of a mini two-game losing streak.
Doing so will be easier said than done as they're hosting a Los Angeles Kings team that enters play having won eight consecutive games.
They own the 2nd best goal differential in the NHL – and have allowed fewer goals than anyone – so they're pretty much the last team the Devils want to see right now.
Making matters worse are injury problems. Kyle Palmieri, arguably the best pure goal scorer on the team, remains out while Marcus Johansson is also expected to be unavailable for tonight's game.
Those two injuries, and New Jersey's reluctance to recall a skilled forward like John Quenneville, have really put the team in a tough spot and hindered their ability to generate offense.
The Devils will have to play a hard-working, tight-checking game, and hope they can get a little puck luck, in order to beat the Kings tonight.
Here are the projected lineups:
New Jersey
Taylor Hall - Nico Hischier - Jesper Bratt
Brian Gibbons - Travis Zajac - Jimmy Hayes
Blake Coleman - Brian Boyle - Stefan Noesen
Miles Wood - Pavel Zacha - Drew Stafford
Andy Greene - Steven Santini
John Moore - Sami Vatanen
Will Butcher - Damon Severson
Cory Schneider
Los Angeles (via DailyFaceoff.com)
Alex Iafallo - Anze Kopitar - Dustin Brown
Tanner Pearson - Nick Shore - Tyler Toffoli
Marian Gaborik - Adrian Kempe - Trevor Lewis
Jussi Jokinen - Torrey Mitchell - Jonny Brodzinski
Jake Muzzin - Drew Doughty
Kurtis MacDermid - Alec Martinez
Derek Forbort - Christian Folin
Jonathan Quick
What to watch for:
1) One under the radar player to really pay attention to is Adrian Kempe. The young Swede is highly skilled and has quietly been a very efficient contributor for the Kings this season. He leads their team in 5v5 points/60, rush attempts/60, and is 4th in 5v5 chances/60. He could feast on the easier matchups.
Update: Kempe is under the weather and may not play.
2) The MacDermid - Martinez pairing has really struggled since being put together. In ~150 minutes, they own an Expected Goals For of just 40.5%. That's probably the pairing to target with the top line.
3) I'd definitely prefer Greene - Severson to Greene - Santini, but I am quite fine with the decision to take Vatanen off the top unit. Away from the toughest matchups, he'll have more freedom and opportunity to jump into the play and put his offensive skillset to use.
4) The Devils will probably struggle to generate offense at 5v5. Luckily for them, the Kings rank 26th in chance suppression while killing penalties and they take more than their fair share. The Devils need to take advantage of that.
5) As mentioned above, the Devils will have a tough time creating offense this evening. They need a bounce-back performance from Cory Schneider if they're going to have a shot.
Puck drop is just after 7:00 p.m. Eastern and can be seen on MSG+ and FS-W.
Recent Posts
On Zajac, Schneider and Wood
Devils Q&A on Zacha, Zajac, Schneider, playoff chances, and more
Thoughts on the Sami Vatanen trade
New Jersey Devils Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»