SJinNewJersey
Every single one of us, the devil inside
People seem to be getting a little tight around here with the current Devils doings. So I thought it was time to lighten up the mood with an at the Carwash theme.
What could be more fun than Sumo wrestlers?
What could be more fun than Sumo wrestlers?
PREVIEW
DEVILS (45-19-8) vs. SENATORS (35-32-5)TV: 7:00 p.m. ET; Televised on MSGSN
RADIO: 7:00 p.m. ET; Live on Devils Hockey Network
Head-to-Head:
This is the third and final meeting between the Devils and Senators this season. New Jersey won the two previous meetings that were held only nine days apart. On Nov. 10 at Prudential Center, the Devils narrowly won 4-3 in overtime, before a 5-1 victory in Ottawa on Nov. 19.
Eight different Devils have scored against Ottawa this season with Nico Hischier's two goals pacing the group. Tomas Tatar, Miles Wood, Erik Haula, Nathan Bastian, Jesper Boqvist, Yegor Sharangovich, and Michael McLeod have all added one goal each.
Devils Team Scope:
The Devils are looking to rebound after a 5-4 loss in Buffalo on Friday night. A win against Ottawa can clinch New Jersey's first post-season appearance since 2018. The Devils are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games, dropping four of their last five as they look to sharpen up some areas of their game in preparation for playoffs. Luckily for the Devils, they're 8-2 in the second half of back-to-back games this season which bodes well for Saturday's game.
Jack Hughes continues to lead the Devils in goals and points as he has 39 and 45 respectively. Hughes snapped a five-game skid without a goal with a pair of tallies in the third period of Friday's game. Dougie Hamilton paces New Jersey with 49 assists, as he picked up a helper on a power play goal halfway through the third period against Buffalo.
Vitek Vanecek has picked up the majority of the Devils goaltending workload this season and he's excelled. He has a 29-9-4 record with a 2.49 goals against average and a .909 save percentage. Akria Schmid has been the number-two goaltender and has a 8-5-2 record with a 2.24 goals against average and a .918 save percentage.
Senators Team Scope:
Don't count the Senators out of the postseason yet. With two big wins in their last three games, Ottawa is still fighting for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Right now the Senators are just five points back from the Pittsburgh Penguins, who they beat on March 20, 2-1. The next night, Ottawa fell 2-1 to the top team in the NHL, the Boston Bruins, showing that they can keep up with the best of them. The Senators rebounded quickly, picking up a huge 7-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday night. As a result, the Devils Saturday night opponent will be hungry and a tough test.
The Senators are a very strong special teams club with both their power play and penalty kill units ranked seventh in the NHL. Ottawa scores on 24.2% of their man-advantage opportunities while their penalty kill shuts down 82.3% of their penalties.
Captain Brady Tkachuk's five goals and seven points in the last five games lead his team, while Tim Stutzle's five assists in five games are also a team-high. Stutzle paces the Senators in all scoring categories this season: 35 goals, 44 assists, and 79 points. Tkachuk is second in those scoring categories: 32 goals, 42 assists, 74 points. Claude Giroux is tied for second-most assists and is third in goals (28) and points (70).
When it comes to goaltending, the Senators have faced quite a few injuries. Anton Forsberg is out for the remainder of the season due to MCL injuries in both knees he sustained on Feb. 11. Cam Talbot, the other veteran netminder is out with a lower-body injury as his last game was March 4. As a result, Ottawa has turned to rookie goaltender Mads Sogaard to pick up the pieces since Forsberg's injury. Through 13 starts and 14 games played, the rookie has a 6-5-2 record with a 3.27 goals against average and a .890 save percentage. Dylan Ferguson made his season debut against the Penguins on March 20 and picked up the win, only allowing one goal on 49 shots.
By the Numbers:
The Ottawa Senators have scored seven goals this season on three occasions, one of which was their most recent game. The first of the 2022-23 season was on Oct.18 against the Boston Bruins (7-5 W), and their other touchdown victory was on Feb. 19, a 7-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues.
Devils center Jack Hughes scored two goals in four minutes and 13 seconds against the Sabres on Friday night. Hughes now has 39 goals, 45 assists and 84 total points this season, career-high numbers all around.
Devils Captain Nico Hischier is one assist away from tying his career-high in that category after already setting new personal records for both goals (30) and points (67).
Injury Report:
Devils
Miles Wood (Undisclosed, day-to-day)
Nathan Bastian (Upper-body, day-to-day)
Curtis Lazar (Lower-body, day-to-day)
Mackenzie Blackwood (Lower-body, IR)
Jonathan Bernier (Hip, LTIR)
Senators
Anton Forsberg (MCL sprains, IR)
Josh Norris (Shoulder, IR)
Jakob Chychrun (Undisclosed, doubtful)
Cam Talbot (Lower-body, week-to-week)
Last edited:
