PRE-GAME REPORT: Devils at Blues
Devils pay a visit to St. Louis as part of a short one-game road swing
By
Marc Ciampa
NewJerseyDevils.com
YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS
GAME DAY VIDEO
COMING SOON - DEVILS:60 | Amanda Stein reports on the key storylines prior to tonight's game
PRE-GAME RAW | Hischier
PRE-GAME RAW | Hayden
PRE-GAME RAW | Devils interim head coach Alain Nasreddine
BY THE NUMBERS
Stats Comparison: Devils vs. Blues
Media Game Notes: Devils vs. Blues
Devils Player Statistics
Blues Player Statistics
Head-to-Head: Devils vs. Blues
NHL Standings
TV & RADIO
You can watch tonight's game within the Devils region on MSG+.
You can listen to tonight's game on the Devils Hockey Network.
The Devils return to Prudential Center on Thursday to face the San Jose Sharks at 7:00 PM ET. You can purchase tickets here!
INSIDE THE DEVILS
Greene, Coleman traded in separate deals and more news and notes from the past few days.
>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE DEVILS BLOG
PRE-GAME REPORT
ST. LOUIS, MO - The Devils play their first game this season against the 2019 Stanley Cup Champions and have made some lineup changes based on how Sunday's game against the Blue Jackets concluded.
Jack Hughes will be shifting to the left side and will play with Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri.
"It's something that we've talked about for quite some time now. We made the switch last game where we had Jack on the wing and (Zacha) in the middle (on a different line) just to see how he'd react," said Devils interim head coach Alain Nasreddine. "We want a different look on that top line."
The coach added that it was a way to get more offensive minutes to Hughes and also make things easier on him on the defensive side of the puck.
"A way to get Jack some more minutes with some really good players," Nasreddine continued. "Simplifies defensive reads and responsibilities. We're trying to break some bad habits that young players have.
"We'll see how he reacts. After watching the last game, I thought he did fairly well."
Hischier was asked about playing with Hughes.
"It doesn't really change anything. I always say it doesn't matter who you play with. You've got go to out there, play your game and help the team win," Hischier began.
"Jack has lots of speed and skill. I'll try to do my best to dish pucks out there and help him create offense.
"It's not easy coming in as an 18 year old. For me, it was different because of where we were at. That year we were feeling good and I had to learn in the second year that it's not always easy."
The lineup will be as follows:
Hughes - Hischier - Palmieri
Merkely - Zacha - Simmonds
Wood - Zajac - Gusev
Hayden - Rooney - Anderson
Mueller - Subban
Butcher - Severson
White - Carrick
Louis Domingue is starting in goal.
A notable absence from the lineup is Jesper Bratt who will be a healthy scratch.
"It's a tough decision to take him out. For Bratter it's a lot about consistency. We know what he's capable of doing. It's a quick reset," said Nasreddine. "At this point in time we want to see how (Jack) reacts to this new role."
HAYDEN DRAWS IN
Another player drawing into the lineup is John Hayden, who was excited to perform in front of his dad with the Devils dads trip taking place here.
"It's really special. (Travis Zajac) said it best last night," Hayden noted. "Our parents did everything for us and without their sacrifice we wouldn't be here."
READY FOR BLUES
The Devils are also preparing for a tough test against a big team like St. Louis.
"Big, strong. They're really heavy in the corners," Hischier stated. "We have to make sure we're moving our legs and not getting stuck in the corner. If we have a lot of battles in the corner."
Nasreddine added that the team will need to be prepared for a battle.
"We're going to need a full team effort. We know we have to play a solid 60 on both sides."
-- Marc Ciampa, NewJerseyDevils.com
PREVIEW
DEVILS (22-26-10) at BLUES (32-17-10)
TV: 8:00 p.m. ET; Televised on MSG+
Head-to-Head:
Tonight's game is the first of two meetings between the two teams this season.
Last season, the Blues won both meetings. The won 3-2 in overtime in New Jersey and 8-3 in St. Louis.
Pavel Zacha led the Devils in scoring with a goal and an assist while Tyler Bozak had two goals and four points to pace the Blues.
Devils team scope:
The Devils are coming off an impressive 4-3 OT win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, sending the once red-hot Jackets home with their fifth straight game without a win.
Since the all-star break, the Devils have played 10 games and have only lost twice in regulation time (5-2-3).
Kyle Palmieri continues to lead the Devils with 41 points and 22 goals through 54 games.
Blues team scope:
St. Louis has picked up where they left off with their great second half run and Stanley Cup win last season.
They are fifth in the NHL and tied for first in the Western Conference with Dallas. With only the top two teams in the Central Division getting home-ice advantage, however, they're only two points up on third-place Colorado so still a lot to play for between now and the end of the season.
In recent times, however, the Blues have struggled. They've lost five straight games (0-4-1) and have only won two of their last 12 (2-7-3).
David Perron leads the Blues with 23 goals and 56 points. Goaltender Jake Allen has outperformed Jordan Binnington in goal this season. Allen, with 17 starts compared to Binnington's 41, has a 2.36 goals-against average and .922 save percentage along with a record of 8-6-3. Binnington is 24-11-7 with a 2.72 goals-against average and .909 save percentage.
By the Numbers:
Since the NHL All-Star Break, the Blues are second last in the NHL in goals-against per game at 3.80. The Devils are middle of the pack at 2.90. In terms of goals scored per game, the Devils are sixth at 3.40. St. Louis is 19th at 2.80.
Blues also have the worst penalty kill in the NHL since the all-star break at 66.7%. If you took the team's power play goals against and subtracted it by shorthanded goals for (to get the team's net penalty kill) it's still 31st and dead last with that same 66.7% rating. Meanwhile, the Devils net penalty kill over the 10 games since the break is a perfect 100%. Even without factoring in shorthanded goals, it's 88.5% and sixth in the NHL.
Injury Updates:
Devils - Sami Vatanen (lower body) is on IR
Blues - Vladimir Tarasenko (left shoulder) is on IR; Jay Bouwmeester (cardiac episode) is on IR
-- Marc Ciampa, NewJerseyDevils.com
