Last night the New Jersey Devils squeezed out a shootout victory over the Ottawa Senators in their first game out of the bye.
They'll be looking for a similar result tonight when they play host to the Arizona Coyotes.
The Coyotes are off to the worst start imaginable having lost all 10 games thus far, with nine of which coming in regulation.
While they're probably unlucky not to have a win or two to their name, the underlying numbers suggest it's no fluke they're struggling.
The Coyotes rank 26th in 5v5 possession, 30th in expected goals for%, and 31st in save percentage. It's awful difficult to win hockey games when that's the case.
Still, they do have some talent -- their top line is excellent -- and the Devils are in the latter half of a back-to-back so this isn't as much of a gimme as it looks.
Here are the projected lineups:
New Jersey
Taylor Hall - Nico Hischier - Drew Stafford Marcus Johansson - Adam Henrique - Jesper Bratt Brian Gibbons - Pavel Zacha - Jimmy Hayes Miles Wood - Blake Coleman - Brian Gibbons
Andy Greene - Damon Severson John Moore - Steve Santini Will Butcher - Ben Lovejoy
Keith Kinkaid
Arizona (via DailyFaceoff.com)
Max Domi - Derek Stepan - Clayton Keller Brendan Perlini - Christian Dvorak - Tobias Rieder Zac Rinaldo - Mario Kempe - Anthony Duclair Nick Cousins - Brad Richardson - Jordan Martinook
Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Jason Demers Alex Goligoski - Luke Schenn Adam Clendening - Niklas Hjalmarsson
Louis Domingue
Five things to watch:
1) The Domi - Stepan - Keller line has been spectacular in the early going. Among 47 eligible lines (50+ minutes together at 5v5), they rank 7th in shot attempts for/60 and 9th in expected goals for/60. For perspective, the Tyler Seguin line, Steven Stamkos line, and Evgeni Malkin line are among the trios that rank below them in each category. The Devils are going to have their hands full.
2) If the Coyotes have an edge, beyond being rested, it's discipline. They have a plus-9 penalty differential while the Devils have taken more minors than all but 10 teams.
3) For years, Hjalmarsson has been one of the best defensive defensemen in the league but he's off to a horrible start. Through 10 games, he ranks last among Coyotes defensemen in Corsi For% and Scoring Chance For%. Until he finds his old form, teams should be targeting him with their best players.
4) Demers not only leads Coyotes defensemen in 5v5 scoring chances but is tied for 2nd in all of the NHL. He's shooting the puck a lot and showing no hesitation jumping into the play so the Devils will have to watch for him.
5) Hall is up to 20 scoring chances and 34 shot attempts at 5v5 but still hasn't scored in that game state. He's come close a few times over the last couple games so perhaps he'll break through tonight against a Coyotes team that bleeds quality looks.
Puck drop is just after 7:00 p.m. Eastern and can be seen on MSG+ and FS-A Plus.