Devils Game Day Preview: Chicago kicks off 5-game road trip vs. Blackhawks – Hockey Writer – New Jersey Devils
Tonight, the New Jersey Devils take on the Chicago Blackhawks on the road for their first game of the season. The Devils have endured three games at home, including their most recent overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Monday, Nov. 10, their first loss at home.
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The Blackhawks are coming off a four-game homestand that has won three in a row, including a 5-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday. After a few days of rest at home, Chicago should be fresh and fresh heading into tonight’s game.
demon storyline
Dougie Hamilton and Connor Brown did not travel with the Devils. Brown has been injured since the California road trip on Oct. 30, while Hamilton will miss at least a week starting on Nov. 8.
According to Amanda Stein, the Devils will split up their road trips. After playing in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, November 15, the Devils will return to New Jersey before flying south to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, November 18. While Brown and Hamilton are not on the team now, there is a chance that one or both of them will complete the road trip to Florida with the team.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe changed some lines during practice. Jack Hughes has two new wingers, Arseny Grichuk and Dawson Mercer. Jesper Bratt moves to the right wing of the second line, while Stefan Noesen moves to the right wing of the third line. The third line was one that Keefe ran against the Islanders and had success with.
The player to watch in this game is Simon Nemec. He scored a buzzer-beater on Monday to send the game into overtime. Although the Devils lost, Nemec gave the Devils a fighting chance until the end. This is also his first goal of the season. Nemec has nine points in 16 games and is expected to add to that total tonight.
Team statistics
new jersey devils
Season record: 11-4-1
Top scorer:
- Jack Hughes – 10 goals (G), 8 assists (A), 18 points (P)
- Jesper Bratt – 5 G, 11 A, 16 P
- Dawson Mercer – 8 G, 7 A, 15 P
- Timo Meier – 5 G, 8 A, 13 P
- Nico Hischier – 3 G, 8 A, 11 P
Goalie statistics:
- Jake Allen – 6-2-0, 2.29 goals against average (GAA), .914 save percentage (SV%)
- Jacob Markstrom – 4-2-1, 3.82 GAA, 0.872 SV%
- Nico Dawes – 1-0-0, 1.00 GAA, 0.968 SV%
chicago blackhawks
Season record: 8-5-3
Top scorer:
- Connor Bedard – 9 G, 16 A, 25 P
- Tyler Bertuzzi – 9 G, 5 A, 14 P
- Andre Burakovsky – 7 G, 7 A, 14 P
- Ryan Donato – 6, 5, 11
- Frank Nazar – 5 G, 6 A, 11 P
Goalie statistics:
- Spencer Knight – 6-3-2, 2.33 GAA, 0.926 SV%
- Arvid Soderblom – 2-2-1, 2.63 GAA, 0.913 SV%
Expected lineup
(Subject to change before puck drops)
Projected lineup articles based on hockey writers.
new jersey devils
Arseny Grischuk – Jack Hughes – Dawson Mercer
Timo Meier – Nico Hischier – Jesper Blatt
Ondrej Palat — Cody Glass — Stefan Noesen
Paul Cotter – Luke Glendening – Zach McEwan
Brendan Dillon — Luke Hughes
Jonas Siegenthaler – Simon Nemec
Dennis Jorrocks — Colton White
Jacob Markstrom
Jack Allen
Scratches: Yoho Ramico
Injuried: Dougie Hamilton, Connor Brown, Mark McLaughlin, Evgeny Dadonov, Brett Pace, Jonathan Kovacevich
chicago blackhawks
Tyler Bertuzzi – Connor Bedard – Andre Burakovsky
Taivo Teravainen – Ryan Green – Ilya Mikayev
Ryan Donato – Oliver Moore – Nick Foligno
Colton Dach — Sam Rafferty
Alex Vlasik — Sam Linzel
Wyatt Caesar — Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk — Connor Murphy
Louis Sewell
Spencer Knight
Arvid Söderblom
Scratches:
Injuried: Frank Nazar, Jason Dickinson, Shea Weber, Laurent Brossoit
What’s next for the Devils
The Devils will continue their road trip and take on the Washington Capitals in Washington on Saturday, November 15th.
