Last time out Keith Kinkaid pitched a shutout and earned the New Jersey Devils just their third win over the last 21 games.
Tonight they will attempt to win consecutive games for the first time since February 4th and 6th when they beat Columbus and Buffalo. That was two months ago.
While the Penguins are battling a ton of injuries -- Evgeni Malkin, Carl Hagelin, Olli Maatta, Trevor Daley and Kris Letang are all out -- they are still a very good team and will give the Devils all they can handle (and probably more).
The Pens are locked into a 1st round matchup with the Blue Jackets, however, home ice has yet to be officially decided. With a win tonight that would change so there is certainly a lot on the line for the Pens.
The Devils aren't playing for much but they'll have to find a way to stay motivated and get up for this game. If they don't, they'll be steamrolled by a much better side.
Here are the expected line combinations for New Jersey:
Adam Henrique - Travis Zajac - Kyle Palmieri Taylor Hall - Pavel Zacha - Mike Cammalleri Beau Bennett - Joseph Blandisi - Stefan Noesen Miles Wood - Jacob Josefson - Blake Coleman
Andy Greene - Ben Lovejoy John Moore - Damon Severson Jon Merrill - Steve Santini
Cory Schneider
And the expected lines for the Pens:
Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Conor Sheary Bryan Rust - Nick Bonino - Phil Kessel Tom Kuhnhackl - Matt Cullen - Patric Hornqvist Scott Wilson - Carter Rowney - Josh Archibald
Ian Cole - Justin Schultz Brian Dumoulin - Ron Hainsey Mark Streit - Chad Ruhwedel
Matt Murray
A few notes:
1) In ~135 minutes together, the Guentzel - Crosby - Sheary line is controlling more than 60% of the goals and shot attempts. The Devils are going to have their hands full trying to slow that trio down.
2) Over the last 10 games, the Devils are 29th in 5v5 scoring chance generation and the Penguins are 26th in terms of suppressing chances. Which side will get back on track tonight? I have a guess and it's not New Jersey.
3) Henrique has just one point in his last eight games despite consistent ice time in the top-6 and on the power play. The games are meaningless now but it'd be nice to see him find his game and end the year on a positive note. This current run will leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth.
Tonight's game is scheduled for 7:00 and can be seen on MSG+, ROOT, and SN360.
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