It hasn’t been an ideal start for the New Jersey Devils since returning from the 4 Nations Face-off break. After suffering a 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday night, they will look to rebound on the road against the Nashville Predators on Sunday night.
This marks the first of five crucial games on an important road trip for New Jersey as they fight to remain in playoff contention. The Devils have been solid on the road this season, posting a record of 16-11-2. With only 24 games remaining in the regular season, they will need to string together some victories, as the playoff race is tightening.
In their previous meeting back in November, the Devils defeated the Predators 5-2, with Nico Hischier recording his first career hat trick. However, Nashville has been playing better of late, winning their last two games.
Jack Hughes got off to a strong start after the break, scoring two goals in less than two minutes during Saturday’s game against the Stars. Unfortunately, no one else was able to contribute offensively. Key players such as Dougie Hamilton, Timo Meier, and Stefan Noesen have been relatively quiet in recent games. Over the Devils’ last 20 outings, Hamilton has tallied three goals, Meier two goals, and Noesen two goals.
New Jersey has heavily relied on offensive production from their top performers—Hughes, Hischier, and Jesper Bratt—but for the Devils to put together a successful stretch of wins, the secondary scoring from players like Hamilton, Meier, and Noesen will need to improve.
Nico Daws is slated to make his second start of the season for the Devils. In his only previous start, he was excellent, stopping 25 of 27 shots in a standout performance against the Penguins. For Nashville, Justus Annunen is expected to start in net. Although he has a subpar save percentage of .890, his record stands at 13-7-0, indicating that the Predators have been playing well in front of him.
Securing a win tonight is crucial for New Jersey, as it will set the tone for the remainder of their road trip and help them distance themselves from teams that are closely trailing them in the standings.
