Devils Set to Play Crosby and the Penguins | PREVIEW

NEW JERSEY DEVILS (41-30-7) vs. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (32-25-12)

New Jersey has four games left in the season starting tonight when they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins.

You can watch on MSGSN or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

Read below for your game preview and pre-game story below. Tonight's game is presented by Ott, Shore & Co

MORNING SKATE RECAP

NEWARK, NJ - The Devils held a full morning skate at Prudential Center on Friday ahead of facing the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Judging by the lines, Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian are in while Justin Dowling and Tomas Tatar are out.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe said that Jake Allen will be the starter in goal.

Right the Ship

The Devils are looking for a response to their recent 7-2 loss to Boston. It was an embarrassing showing and something the club wants to put behind it.

“The coaches didn’t look at it and hammer us with how we played, we know as players that we’re not happy with our performance last game,” defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic said. “We want to right the ship tonight.”

“Last game was one we don’ t want to talk about. But it happens,” forward Timo Meier said. “It should be a wake-up call. It should be sobering. You realize why it happened and go with the right mindset with the games we have ahead of us.”

Final Focus

The Devils have four games left in the regular season. But they’re already locked into the No. 3 spot in the Metro Division and will face Carolina to open the postseason. So, finishing the season will be a balance of remaining healthy while still competing at a high level.

“You know you have to play the games, and you want to get through them, and you want to feel good about your game coming out of it,” Keefe said. “That’s the priority, to feel good about our game and come out of it healthy. That’s the focus. The players want to be healthy and feeling good. We have to balance that with the fact that we need to push and build our game to the point where we’re ready to compete in playoff hockey.”\

“It's a very important phase of the season,” Meier said. “We’re excited we clinch. But now it’s about how we prepare for that. We have some games left. One tonight. I think the focus is even bigger on us, the way we want to play.”

Hot Pens

Pittsburgh will miss the playoffs for the third straight year, but the club is 8-4-2 in the past 14 games.

“I think we’re trying to play hard, we’re trying to play the right way, we’re trying to play with the right intentions,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “Guys are competing hard. It says a lot about the group and the leadership that we have.”

THE SCOOP

New Jersey is looking to rebound after a tough 7–2 loss to the Bruins on Tuesday night. That defeat snapped a three-game win streak. The Devils have gone 5–4–1 in their last 10 games and enter Friday night having clinched a playoff spot following the Rangers' loss to the Flyers on Wednesday.

The Devils have found success when playing with structure and urgency, particularly at home where their penalty kill ranks best in the league at 87.4%. Offensively, the top line continues to lead the way. Captain Nico Hischier is riding a four-game point streak (5g-3a-8pts). Timo Meier is also heating up, registering goals in back-to-back games (3g total).

The Penguins come to Newark on the heels of a dominant 5–0 shutout win over Chicago, but their playoff hopes were officially extinguished earlier this week. Pittsburgh is 3–1–1 in its last five games and has shown pride and push even with the postseason out of reach. Rickard Rakell (34 goals) and Bryan Rust (28 goals) remain scoring threats, while Sidney Crosby continues to produce at an elite level with 87 points on the season.

This marks the fourth and final meeting between the teams. New Jersey has won two of the first three, including a 3–0 shutout in December and a 3–2 win in February. Pittsburgh claimed the most recent matchup on March 15 with a 7–3 win.

Special teams could be a deciding factor. New Jersey boasts the NHL’s third-ranked power play (27.9%) and third-ranked overall penalty kill (82.5%). Pittsburgh’s power play is no slouch either, clicking at 25% (7th), but their penalty kill has struggled on the road, ranking 29th at just 71.1%.

WHO’S HOT

Devils: Nico Hischier is red-hot, tallying 17 points (9g-8a) over his last 12 games and recording points in four straight, including five goals and eight points in his last five contests.

Penguins: Bryan Rust enters tonight’s game with a four-game point streak, totaling six points (2g-4a) in that span. Sidney Crosby has seven points in his last five.

INJURIES

Devils: J.Hughes (shoulder, LTIR), J.Siegenthaler (undisclosed, LTIR), D.Hamilton (undisclosed, week-to-week)

Penguins: M. Nieto (undisclosed, day-to-day), N. Acciari (undisclosed, day-to-day), B. Lizotte (lower body, day-to-day), R. McGroarty (lower body, day-to-day), P. Tomasino (concussion, day-to-day), B. Imama (biceps, day-to-day), T. Novak (lower body, day-to-day), P.O. Joseph (upper body, IR)

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

• Dec 21 at New Jersey, 3-0 Win
• Feb 4 at Pittsburgh,
• Mar 15 at Pittsburgh, 7-3 Loss
• Apr 11 at New Jersey, 7:00 PM ET

GAME NOTES

• Jesper Bratt has recorded six assists in three games against the Penguins this season, leading all Devils skaters in points during the season series.
• Luke Hughes leads all Devils defensemen with 42 points this season (7g–35a) while averaging 21:05 of ice time per game.
• Devils forward Paul Cotter ranks second on the team with 237 hits entering tonight’s game.
• New Jersey has scored seven shorthanded goals this season — tied for 11th-most in the NHL.
• Timo Meier leads the Devils in shots on goal with 230, and has three game-winning goals at Prudential Center this season.
• Cody Glass scored his lone goal as a Devil against Pittsburgh on Feb. 4, a 3–2 win.
• Stefan Noesen has scored a game-winning goal and a power-play goal against Pittsburgh this season.
• Seamus Casey, who has played 12 games with the Devils this season, has contributed two goals and six points — including a power-play goal.
• New Jersey is 14–7–3 against Metropolitan Division opponents this season.