The New Jersey Devils are set to host the Pittsburgh Penguins today for a matinee matchup, a game featuring two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Both teams come into the contest with identical point totals, making this a highly anticipated clash.
The Devils (10-4-0) are coming off a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. Jesper Bratt scored the game-winning goal and had a two-point night. The Penguins (9-4-2) are also coming off a win, having defeated the Washington Capitals 5-3 in an emotional game that marked the 99th meeting between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.
New Jersey has been strong at home, winning all six of their games at the Prudential Center this season. Historically, the Devils have had the upper hand against the Penguins, winning 9 of the last 12 meetings. Since the 2022-23 season, the Devils are 8-3-0 against Pittsburgh, including a 4-2-0 record at home. Last season, the teams split their four games, 2-2-0.
Offensively, both teams are potent. The Penguins lead the league in goals scored, averaging 3.6 goals per game. The Devils are not far behind, ranking sixth in the NHL with 3.6 goals per game. Pittsburgh boasts the league's best power-play percentage at 35.90%, while New Jersey is sixth at 27.03%. Defensively, the Penguins have allowed 2.7 goals per game which ranks 12th in the NHL, while the Devils have conceded 3.1 goals per game.
Several players are currently sidelined with injuries. For the Devils, Dougie Hamilton is out with an undisclosed injury sustained in the game against Montreal. He joins other injured Devils including Brown, Pesce and Dadonov. The Penguins' injury list includes Hayes, Jones, Rakell and Brazeau.
The projected Devils lineup is as follows: Stefan Noesen, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt on the first forward line; Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer on the second; Ondrej Palat, Cody Glass, Arseny Gritsyuk on the third; and Paul Cotter, Juho Lammikko, Luke Glendening on the fourth. The defensive pairings are expected to be Jonas Siegenthaler with Simon Nemec, Brenden Dillon with Luke Hughes, and Dennis Cholowski with Colton White. Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen are the likely goaltending options.
The Penguins' projected lineup includes Bryan Rust, Sidney Crosby, and Ben Kindel on the first line; Tommy Novak, Evgeni Malkin, and Anthony Mantha on the second; Ville Koivunen, Kevin Hayes, and Philip Tomasino on the third. The defensive pairings are Parker Wotherspoon with Erik Karlsson, Ryan Shea with Kris Letang, and Ryan Graves with Connor Clifton. Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov are the expected goaltenders.
Jesper Bratt has historically performed well against the Penguins, with 28 career points (8 goals, 20 assists) against them, his most against any single opponent. For the Penguins, keep an eye on rookie Ben Kindel, who has four points in his last two games.
Given the offensive capabilities of both teams, experts predict a high-scoring affair.
