Match-up - New Jersey Devils (28-29-11) @ Arizona Coyotes (21-398) Road/Home records - 11-19-3 -------------- 10-19-5 TV - FS-A, MSG+2 Puck drop - 9:00 p.m. ET Season series - 1-0 Devils Last 10 - Devils: 5-3-2 ------- Coyotes: 1-8-1 Projected starting goalies - Cory Schneider vs Mike Smith
Projected lines for the Coyotes via DailyFaceoff.com:
Martin Erat - Kyle Chipchura - Shane Doan Tobias Reider - Mark Arcobello - Sam Gagner Lauri Korpikoski - Joe Vitale - David Moss Tye McGinn - Craig Cunningham - B.J. Crombeen
Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Michael Stone Klas Dahlbeck - Andrew Campbell John Moore - Connor Murhpy
Projected lines for the Devils:
Adam Henrique - Scott Gomez - Steve Bernier Mike Cammalleri - Travis Zajac - Jordin Tootoo Dainius Zubrus - Patrik Elias - Stephen Gionta Tuomo Ruutu - Jacob Josefson - Pete Harrold
Andy Greene - Adam Larsson Jon Merrill - Damon Severson Mark Fraser - Eric Gelinas
What to watch:
1) It hasn't been a banner year for the Devils by any means, but with a win tonight they could get back to .500. I'd bet on that happening with how Arizona has been playing of late, winning just one of their last 10.
2) Mike Smith has been dreadful this season, and his .899SV% is quite evident of that. New Jersey isn't a very good offensive team, but Arizona isn't great defensively, either. They should have plenty of opportunities to test Smith, and need to do so every chance they get.
3) Adam Henrique has four points in his last four games, and has taken over the team lead with 36 points (yikes). It'll be interesting to see if he can keep that going against a very poor team in the Coyotes.
4) This game could very well come down to special teams. Neither team can score, and both suck in possession, so whoever's power play is better just might be the deciding factor.
5) Adam Larsson has really started to figure it out, and has recorded 16 points in his last 28 games. New Jersey obviously isn't making the playoffs, and given how much the Devils invested in him (4th overall pick) it's safe to say his development is as important as anything the rest of the way.
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