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THE DEVILS ARE ON A 9 GAME WIN STREAK!
DEVILS (12-3-0) at CANADIENS (8-6-1)
Head-to-Head:
This is the first of three meetings between the Devils and Canadiens this season. New Jersey will host on Feb. 23, 2023 and the final game will be back in Montreal on Mar. 11, 2023.
Last season, the Devils won two of the three meetings: a 7-1 victory on Feb. 8 in Montreal and 3-2 in a shootout on Mar. 27 in Newark. In the final meeting of the year, in Canada, the Devils fell 7-4 on Apr. 7.
Devils Team Scope:
The Devils are riding a nine game winning streak as they kick off a three-game Eastern Canada roadtrip. It's New Jersey's first nine game win streak since Nov.-Dec. 2007. Not only has the team found different ways to win, they've had many players step up in the process.
After goaltender Vitek Vanecek left Thursday's game for precautionary reasons and was given the night off Saturday, rookie Akira Schmid stepped up in Vanecek's absence. Not only did Schmid pick up his first two NHL wins, he stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced.
Captain Nico Hischier is riding a career high seven-game points streak where he's contributed five goals and five assists for 10 total points. Every time the Captain has recorded a point, the Devils have won that game. Forward Tomas Tatar, is on a two-game goal streak and a seven game points streak (2G, 7A). Forward Jack Hughes has one goal and four assists over the last four games.
Hischier leads the Devils in goals with 8 while forward Jesper Bratt leads the team in assists (14) and points (19).
Canadiens Team Scope:
The Canadiens are on a three-game win streak picking up victories over Detroit, Vancouver, and Pittsburgh. Tuesday's game is the final of a three-game homestand before Montreal hits the road. The home team has had ups and downs, often winning two or three games before losing two or three games in a row. In their last 10 games, the Canadiens are 5-4-1.
Captain Nick Suzuki leads his team with nine goals and 19 points and is second in assists with nine. Kirby Dach leads the Canadiens with 10 assists. Jake Allen, Montreal's starting goaltender, is 5-5-0 with a 3.19 goals against average and a .902 save percentage. After serving a two-game suspension for a hit against Matt Luff, Juraj Slafkovsky returns to the Canadiens lineup against the Devils.
The Devils will need to focus in on Montreal's top line consisting of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Kirby Dach. Not only are they all in the top-three for points, they're all on two-game points streaks.
By the Numbers:
Montreal's Arber Xhekaj and New Jersey's Fabian Zetterlund are first and second respectively when it comes to most shots by rookies throughout the NHL (Xhekaj 28, Zetterlund 27).
Jesper Bratt has earned eight points through 11 games against the Canadiens (2G, 6A) since the 2017-18 season. The only other player to score more against the Canadiens is Hischier (6G, 4A).
Injuries:
Devils
Blackwood (IR, MCL sprain)
Bernier (LTIR, hip)
Palat (IR, groin)
Canadiens
Matheson (abdominal muscle strain)
Byron (LTIR, hip)
Heineman (thumb)
