Match-up - New Jersey Devils (24-21-13) @ Washington Capitals (26-23-9) Road/Home records - 11-14-6 -------------- 16-10-4 TV - MSG Plus Puck drop - 8:00 p.m. ET Season series - Devils lead 2-0 Last 10: Devils 4-3-3 | Capitals 4-5-1 Projected starting goalies - Cory Schneider vs Braden Holtby
Projected lines for the Capitals:
Martin Erat - Nicklas Backstrom - Alex Ovechkin Marcus Johansson - Casey Wellman - Troy Brouwer Jason Chimera - Eric Fehr - Joel Ward Brooks Laich - Jay Beagle - Tom Wilson
John Carlson - Karl Alzner Dmitri Orlov - Connor Carrick Julien Brouillette - Patrick Wey
Projected lines for the Devils:
Dainius Zubrus - Travis Zajac - Jaromir Jagr Patrik Elias - Andrei Loktionov - Damien Brunner Ryan Clowe - Adam Henrique - Michael Ryder Ryan Carter - Stephen Gionta - Steve Bernier
Andy Greene - Mark Fayne Jon Merrill - Marek Zidlicky Bryce Salvador - Pete Harrold
Game notes:
- The Capitals are a pretty poor 5 vs 5 team in terms of possession and goal differential, but thanks to Alex Ovechkin and their stellar power play they've managed to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference playoff race. If the Devils can stay out of the box and keeping things 5-on-5 they should have an advantage in this game.
- New Jersey's power play has struggled since sending Eric Gelinas back to Albany as they're 0-9 in three games without him. The Devils are going up a pretty mediocre PK unit in Washington, though, so they should be able to create their fair share of chances to try and snap out of this funk.
- Over the last couple of weeks I've noticed opponents have used the Devils' own system against them at times. In the defensive zone the Devils like to collapse towards the front of the net and then overload the puck carrier. This forces to the carrier to make a quick decision, but the Devils are left vulnerable on the far side. They've been picked apart on cross ice passes in those situations quite a bit, and I think Washington may be able to take advantage of that; especially on the power play. If they leave Ovechkin open on the far side they're going to pay, so they best keep an eye on him.
- Expect Travis Zajac, Andy Greene and company to play a lot of minutes. The Devils need points and they'll have almost three weeks off after tonight's game, so I don't think Pete DeBoer will hesitate to milk them for all they're worth. Depending what happens elsewhere, the Devils could be within one point of a playoff spot with a win. This is a big game.
- Cory Schneider has been exceptional over the last couple of months and has allowed two goals or less in 12 of his last 13 starts. I think it's fair to expect another strong effort from him.
- Speaking of Schneider, here's a graph of his save percentage by start over his last 13. He's posted a .909SV% or better in 12 of the 13.
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- I recently posted my midseason rankings for the top-30 first-year NHL draft eligible players from the OHL. You can view that here.
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