The New Jersey Devils conclude their Western Canada road trip tonight when they take on the Calgary Flames in the first Todd Cordell Bowlâ„¢ of the season.
While both teams enter this game feeling pretty good about themselves -- the Devils are 9-3-0 and the Flames have won consecutive games -- neither side will be at close to full strength in this one.
The Devils are missing three of their best players (Travis Zajac, Kyle Palmieri, and Marcus Johansson) and the Flames will be without a top-9 winger in Jaromir Jagr, who is expected to provide some needed secondary scoring, as well as 2nd pairing defenseman Travis Hamonic.
The latter's absence temporarily pushes Michael Stone up the lineup, which is OK for a short period of time, and, more importantly, opens up a spot for the struggling Matt Bartkowski to return.
Both teams have holes in their lineups and are a little vulnerable right now so this game really could go either way.
Here are the projected lineups:
Calgary
Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Michael Ferland Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik Sam Bennett - Mark Jankowski - Curtis Lazar Kris Versteeg - Matt Stajan - Troy Brouwer
Mark Giordano - Dougie Hamilton T.J. Brodie - Michael Stone Brett Kulak - Matt Bartkowski
Mike Smith
New Jersey (via DailyFaceoff.com)
Taylor Hall - Nico Hischier - Drew Stafford Brian Gibbons - Adam Henrique - Jesper Bratt Brian Boyle - Pavel Zacha - Jimmy Hayes Miles Wood - Blake Coleman - Stefan Noesen
Andy Greene - Steven Santini John Moore - Damon Severson Mirco Mueller - Will Butcher
Keith Kinkaid
Five things to watch:
1) Hall has been as good as anyone in the league of late having tallied 12 points and 28 scoring chances over his last seven games. He'll no doubt see a lot of the 3M line, which is coming off a dominant performance of their own against Pittsburgh. Despite unfavorable zone starts, the Flames out-chanced the Pens 11-3 with the 3M line out against Sidney Crosby's unit. Hall vs 3M will be a great matchup to watch.
2) Smith is as hot as they come between the pipes. He's allowed just six goals over the last four games and owns a ridiculous .936 save percentage on the year. He's stopping everything he sees so it's imperative the Devils get traffic in front of him, especially given their watered-down lineup. They don't have enough skill and shooting ability right now to routinely beat him from a distance.
3) Stone's performance will be key for the Flames in this one. Glen Gulutzan really leaned on his top-4 to begin with so he'll no doubt run them into the ground with a 3rd pairing of Kulak, who I actually like, and Bartkowski. If Stone can't hold his own on the second pairing, it could be a rough night.
4) I think the Flames' top unit is in a very good spot. With so many key forwards out of the lineup, the Devils are pretty shallow up front and don't have much firepower. The 3M line will square up against Hall's, which means the Monahan line will get consistent minutes where they have the decisive advantage.
5) Ferland has 18 scoring chances at 5v5 over the last five games and, as a result of his strong play, has been rewarded with some power play ice during that time. He's really taken his game up a notch and could be due for a big night.
Puck drop is just after 9:00 eastern and can be seen on SN360 and MSG+.
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