Which New Jersey Devils team will show up this weekend against the Carolina Hurricanes and Los Angeles Kings?

The young Devils team will need to turn the page and start fresh. The first prerequisite is to play a full sixty minutes and get back to basics. Defensively, the Devils need to play to protect the puck better and not leave their opponents unscathed in front of Mackenzie Blackwood’s crease. Against the Coyotes, with a combination of Ryan Graves and Ty Smith costly giveaways and Damon Severson not physically taking care of his assignments in front of the crease, Arizona was able to sustain pressure and get good quality chances inside the high danger area. This needs to be addressed immediately and the defense take control of the slot area. Most importantly, the first outlet passes from the defense need to be crisper with precision. Turnovers can change the momentum of a game and the Devils paid the price for it on Wednesday.

Here come the Metropolitan Division’s first place team, Carolina Hurricanes (27-8-2, 56 pts.), who beat the New York Rangers 6-3 in Raleigh yesterday and are 8-1-1 in the last ten games with a three game winning streak. The Devils will be going against a very well coached team. They cannot afford to make lazy passes and need to play more physical upfront on both ends of the ice. The Hurricanes will make you pay the price and own one of the best defenses in the league, giving up 84 goals against.

Expect the Devils to come out and put a strong effort. They are currently on a three game losing streak against teams with equal or worse record than their own. They need to sustain pressure on the Hurricanes throughout the game.

However, which Devils team will show up tonight?

Our Condolences To The Gillies Family

Islanders legend and four-time Stanley Cup champion Clark Gillies passed away Friday night at the age of 67.

We send our heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies to the Gillies, Bourne, and New York Islanders families.

Pride Night Tonight at The Rock

#NewProfilePic 👀🤌#HockeyIsForEveryone #PrideNight 🙌 pic.twitter.com/8p9sFhEC2z

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 22, 2022

******

Sam Woo is co-host and executive producer of the Let's Go Devils Podcast which can be heard live every Sunday at 9pm ET and Wednesday at 8:30pm ET.

You can follow Sam on Twitter: @PrimetimeSamWoo

Join the Discussion: » 32 Comments » Post New Comment

» RAISING HELL: Will The Devils Over Take The Hurricanes In Standings?

» PODCAST: Devils Clinch, Now Phase Two

» RAISING HELL: Timo Scores Twice, Devils Get Point In Shootout Loss To Tampa

» RAISING HELL: Will The Devils Spring Forward This Week?

» RAISING HELL: Devils Squeak by Caps With Meier’s Shootout Game Winner