THE SCOOP
The Devils swept their three-game homestand with wins over Colorado, Anaheim and Los Angeles, and now they take their show on the road. Having won five of their last six games they now they open a three-game road trip in Dallas, with a back-to-back at Colorado on Wednesday and a stop in Vegas on Friday.
The defensive commitment and structure has been the driver of the recent surge. New Jersey allowed 16 shots against Anaheim and 13 against Los Angeles, and Jake Allen stopped 12 of 13 in Saturday’s win over the Kings.
Of course, the Devils made a major splash by acquiring goaltender Connor Hellebuyck from Winnipeg, who took part in his first practice on Monday. It was his first official team practice - with any team - since April, as he gets back up to speed, but Hellebuyck had been training on-ice in Michigan leading up to the trade and feels ready to play when called upon. Head coach Sheldon Keefe reiterated that it's Hellebuyck's intention to play on the trip, but that there are still several boxes to tick before making that official.
Dallas has won five straight, including overtime wins over Boston and Winnipeg and a victory over the Islanders on Sunday. The Stars are 7-3-1 and have gotten outstanding goaltending from Jake Oettinger, who has three shutouts in nine appearances. Mikko Rantanen scored a hat trick against Boston and has six goals on the season.
The teams split last season’s series. Dallas won 3-0 at Prudential Center on Dec. 3, and New Jersey won 6-4 in Dallas on March 24 behind two goals from Jack Hughes.
