The New Jersey Devils visit the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night in their first meeting of the season series. The Devils have not been performing well. They are on a five-game losing streak, including losing their last four at home. They also lost the first of a two-game road trip against the Boston Bruins on Saturday, 4-1. They’ll try to end this skid in Ottawa before they head back home.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Devils’ Deflating 4-1 Loss to Boston
The Senators are also on a losing streak, just not as bad as the Devils’. They lost the first two games of their three-game home stand against the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues. They’ll be looking for a win at home before hitting the road for three games.
Devils Storylines
Although Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt had maintenance days yesterday, the two appear to be in the lineup for tonight’s game against the Senators. This is a great sign for New Jersey, as they are key members of their top six.
Meier and Bratt attended the optional morning skate in Ottawa, and so did Jake Allen, meaning it’s likely that Jacob Markstrom will be tonight’s starting goalie. Their records this season are pretty even, with Markstrom having one less win in two fewer starts.
The player to watch in this game is Simon Nemec. He has been a big part of the Devils’ success, ranked sixth in points with 15 through 29 contests, and his plus-4 rating ranks second on the team. However, he has been quiet recently, going four games without a goal. Now would be a good time for him to pick up his offensive game.
Team Stats
New Jersey Devils
Season Record: 16-12-1
Top Scorers:
- Nico Hischier – 10 goals (G), 16 assists (A), 26 points (P)
- Jesper Bratt – 5 G, 21 A, 26 P
- Timo Meier – 11 G, 12 A, 23 P
- Dawson Mercer – 10 G, 11 A, 21 P
- Jack Hughes – 10 G, 10 A, 20 P
Goalie Stats:
- Jake Allen – 8-6-0, 2.52 goals-against average (GAA), .908 save percentage (SV%)
- Jacob Markstrom – 7-6-1, 3.51 GAA, .876 SV%
- Nico Daws – 1-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .968 SV%
Ottawa Senators
Season Record: 13-11-4
Top Scorers:
- Tim Stutzle – 11 G, 13 A, 24 P
- Drake Batherson – 10 G, 14 A, 24 P
- Jake Sanderson – 6 G, 17 A, 23 P
- Shane Pinto – 12 G, 6 A, 18 P
- Dylan Cozens – 9 G, 8 A, 17 P
Goalie Stats:
- Linus Ullmark – 10-7-4, 3.00 GAA, .877 SV%
- Leevi Merilainen – 3-4-0, 3.36 GAA, .876 SV%
Projected Lineups
(Subject to change before puck drop)
As per The Hockey Writers’ projected lineup article.
New Jersey Devils
Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Stefan Noesen
Ondrej Palat — Dawson Mercer — Jesper Bratt
Arseni Gristyuk — Cody Glass — Connor Brown
Paul Cotter — Luke Glendening — Angus Crookshank
Jonas Siegenthaler — Dougie Hamilton
Brenden Dillon — Luke Hughes
Dennis Cholowski — Simon Nemec
Jacob Markstrom
Jake Allen
Scratched: Juho Lammikko, Colton White
Injured: Evgenii Dadonov, Jack Hughes, Marc McLaughlin, Zack MacEwen, Johnathan Kovacevic, Brett Pesce
Ottawa Senators
Nick Cousins — Tim Stutzle — Fabian Zetterlund
Brady Tkachuk — Dylan Cozens — Drake Batherson
Michael Amadio — Ridly Greig — Claude Giroux
Stephen Halliday — Lars Eller — David Perron
Jake Sanderson — Artem Zub
Tyler Kleven — Jordan Spence
Nikolas Matinpalo — Nick Jensen
Linus Ullmark
Leevi Merilainen
Scratched: Olle Lycksell, Dennis Gilbert, Kurtis MacDermid
Injured: Shane Pinto, Thomas Chabot
Next Up for the Devils
After two road games, the Devils will head back home and host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, Dec. 11.
