The New Jersey Devils' quest for a win continues tonight when they play host to the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Devils enter this contest having lost 10 consecutive games and I'm starting to think they may never win again. We're at the point where if the Devils have a winnable game -- like hosting a Jets team out of the race and in the latter half of a road back-to-back -- the NHL just calls the game off and reschedules for a less convenient date. I'm (partly) joking, of course.
But, seriously, this never ending string of losses may not be such a bad thing. The Arizona Coyotes are hot (they've won three in a row!) and the Devils are suddenly only two points out of 29th in the league. If the Devils finish 29th, they have an extra 2% chance of winning the top pick and obviously their chances of staying in the top-3 would be higher.
I would think the Devils are fully aware of this and making decisions accordingly, like giving Keith Kinkaid the nod in goal tonight even though Cory Schneider hasn't played a game since Saturday.
But don't worry, friends. Schneider will surely get the three winnable games that follow against Pittsburgh, Columbus, and the New York Rangers, three of the top-5 teams in terms of wins.
Look out, Arizona. There's a new No. 29 seed in town.
Here are the expected line combinations for New Jersey:
Taylor Hall - Travis Zajac - Kyle Palmieri Joseph Blandisi - Adam Henrique - Beau Bennett Pavel Zacha - John Quenneville - Stefan Noesen Blake Coleman - Blake Pietila - Miles Wood
John Moore - Damon Severson Andy Greene - Ben Lovejoy Jon Merrill - Steve Santini
Keith Kinkaid
And the expected lines for the Flyers (via dailyfaceoff.com):
Brayden Schenn - Claude Giroux - Wayne Simmonds Travis Konecny - Valtteri Filppula - Jakub Voracek Nick Cousins - Sean Couturier - Matt Read Chris VandeVelde - Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - Roman Lyubimov
Ivan Provorov - Andrew MacDonald Michael Del Zotto - Radko Gudas Nick Schultz - Shayne Gostisbehere
Steve Mason
A few notes:
1) Quenneville had 41 points in 53 games with Albany and generated shots at a pretty good clip (2.60 per game). I'm curious how soon he can provide an offensive burst at the NHL level because the Devils could certainly use it.
2) Kinkaid has made just two starts since February 1st and it sounds like he'll get a little more run down the stretch. He's playing for a contract -- be it in New Jersey or elsewhere -- so these games are very important to him.
3) Over the last 10 games, the Flyers have allowed the third fewest scoring chances in the league while the Devils have generated the fewest. It could be another tough night offensively, although playing a tired team could help their cause.
Tonight's game is scheduled for 7:00 and can be seen on MSG+, CSN-PH. and TVA.