The New Jersey Devils couldn't have headed into the holiday break on a better note.
Not only did they win four consecutive games, but they did so against quality opponents. Dallas, Anaheim, and New York are all holding down playoff spots while Chicago is a point out and are the only team in the league with a positive goal differential (+9) and no playoff spot to show for it.
The Devils will be looking to pick up where they left off and win their fifth straight game tonight, which would ensure they stay atop the Metro Division for at least another day.
The Devils should have a good chance of making that happen at home against a bad Detroit team.
The Red Wings rank 28th in points, 27th in goal differential, 24th in expected goals for%, and have won just three times in their last 10 games, so there isn't much going for them.
This is a winnable game for the Devils and one they probably need given the difficulty of their upcoming schedule. After Buffalo on Friday, they hit the road for four games against playoff teams in Washington, St. Louis, Dallas, and New York. It'll be tough to accomplish much during that stretch so they'll have to take care of business prior.
Here are the projected lineups:
New Jersey
Taylor Hall - Nico Hischier - Jesper Bratt Marcus Johansson - Travis Zajac - Kyle Palmieri Miles Wood - Pavel Zacha - Brian Gibbons Blake Coleman - Brian Boyle - Stefan Noesen
Andy Greene - Steven Santini John Moore - Sami Vatanen Will Butcher - Damon Severson
Cory Schneider
Detroit (via DailyFaceoff.com)
Anthony Mantha - Henrik Zetterberg - Gustav Nyquist Tomas Tatar - Dylan Larkin - Justin Abdelkader Tyler Bertuzzi - Frans Nielsen - Darren Helm David Booth - Andreas Athanasiou - Martin Frk
Jonathan Ericsson - Trevor Daley Danny DeKeyser - Mike Green Niklas Kronwall - Nick Jensen
Jimmy Howard
What to watch for:
1) As a whole, the left side of Detroit's defense is very old and slow. That has unsurprisingly led to them taking a fair amount of penalties (Kronwall has a -5 differential, Ericsson has a -4 differential and DeKeyser comes in at -2). I think New Jersey's team speed could cause them a lot of problems. I'd target that side through the neutral zone whenever possible.
2) Detroit ranks 29th in expected goals against/60 while down a man. If the Devils can use their speed to get the Wings into penalty trouble, they should be able to take advantage.
3) One under the radar player to keep your eye on is Andreas Athanasiou. He doesn't get a ton of ice, but when he does he usually makes things happen offensively. He ranks 2nd among Wings regulars in 5v5 shots/60, 5v5 chances/60, and is one of the more dynamic skaters you'll see.
4) I like the decision to swap Bratt and Palmieri in the top-6. The pass-happy trio of Johansson, Zajac, and Bratt wasn't shooting nearly enough and this change will give the top-6 more balance.
5) Cory Schneider posted a 5-0-1 record and .931 save percentage in six games prior to the break. Can he remain hot after a few days off?
Puck drop is just after 7:00 p.m. Eastern and can be seen on MSG+2 and FS-D.
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