Match-up - Pittsburgh Penguins (27-13-8) @ New Jersey Devils (18-22-8) Road/Home records - 10-6-5 -------------- 8-7-6 TV - TVA, ROOT, MSG+ Puck drop - 7:00 p.m. ET Season series - 2-1 Penguins Last 10 - Penguins: 3-4-3 ------- Devils: 5-4-1 Projected starting goalies - Marc-Andre Fleury vs Cory Schneider
Projected lines for the Penguins via DailyFaceoff.com:
Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - David Perron Beau Bennett - Brandon Sutter - Patric Hornqvist Nick Spaling - Maxim Lapierre - Steve Downie Zach Sill - Andrew Ebbett - Craig Adams
Paul Martin - Kris Letang Roberto Bortuzzo - Christian Ehrhoff Rob Scuderi - Simon Despres
Projected lines for the Devils:
Adam Henrique - Scott Gomez - Jaromir Jagr Patrik Elias - Travis Zajac - Martin Havlat Dainius Zubrus - Mike Cammalleri - Steve Bernier Tuomo Ruutu - Jacob Josefson - Jordin Tootoo
Andy Greene - Adam Larsson Mark Fraser - Marek Zidlicky Jon Merrill - Pete Harrold
Injured/ill: Ryane Clowe, Stephen Gionta, Damon Severson, Bryce Salvador.
What to watch:
1) Jagr Watch 2015 is up and running, and Pittsburgh is expected to be front and center in trying to acquire his services if/when the Devils officially make him available.
From Penguins beat Dejan Kovacevic: All I know about the Penguins and Jaromir Jagr is that Evgeni Malkin was recently approached by management to see if he’d see No. 68 as a good fit on his line. Malkin affirmed. That’s it, at least for what’s made it to me. I’ve heard nothing elseMark Madden of 105.9 the X has reported that the Penguins have contacted the Devils about Jagr and are interested in acquiring him. I neither comment nor rely on others’ reporting, but I’m sharing that with you here for the fullest context in case you didn’t hear that this week on his show.
Lou Lamoriello rarely trades within the division, but if the Pens table the best offer Lamoriello should take it.
2) I've focused on Larsson a lot in recent weeks, but with the way he's playing - and New Jersey's playoff hopes already down the drain - it's hard not to, as his development is the most important thing for the Devils going forward. Of late he's fared very well in possession against top competition, and the offense is starting to shine through. He has six points in his last eight, and looks like a rock beside Andy Greene. He'll have another tough task tonight against the best player in hockey, so I'm interested to see how he handles himself.
3) The Devils will need another strong effort from Cory Schneider tonight, as the Penguins have the advantage at 5v5 and in special teams. The good news for New Jersey is Schneider has been excellent of late and has a .921SV%, so he's usually a safe bet for a quality start.
Recent posts