Game #15 Preview: New Jersey Devils at Edmonton Oilers

After a 3-0 shutout loss in Calgary, the Devils look to right the ship on the Western Canadian road trip against the Edmonton Oilers. Let’s see how the Devils will match up against the Oilers in this preview.

The Essentials:

Matchup: New Jersey Devils at Edmonton Oilers

Date: November 4, 2024

Time: 8:30 PM ET

Broadcast: MSGSN, NHLN, Prime, TVAS-D

Listen: Devils Hockey Network

The Last Devils Game: The New Jersey Devils suffered a 3-0 defeat against the Calgary Flames on November 1st. If you like reading about sloppy hockey, check out John’s game recap. The Devils have a record of two wins and four losses in their last six games.

The Last Oilers Game: The Oilers defeated the Calgary Flames on Sunday night with a final score of 4-2. The Oilers have four wins and two losses in their last six games. Check out NHL.com’s recap of that game.

Edmonton By the Numbers

Edmonton may have a nearly .500 record, but their season statistics (per Natural Stat Trick as of the writing of this article on Sunday night) paint a much brighter story. At five-on-five, the Oilers are tied for fourth in the NHL with 123 High Danger Chances For (HDCF) and first in Scoring Chances For (SCF) with 337. Defensively, Edmonton has allowed 97 High Danger Chances Against (HDCA) at five-on-five, which ranks 14th in the NHL. Edmonton ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of Scoring Chances Allowed (SCA). While I’m not a fan of this stat, it is worth noting that the Oilers rank second in the NHL with a Corsi percentage (CF%) of 56.14 at even strength.

Good offense and average defense, which brings me to the Oilers’ goaltending. It has been a tale of two goaltenders for the Oilers with Calvin Pickard being decent and Stuart Skinner struggling. Pickard has posted a save percentage of .897 and a Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA) of 1.19. Skinner on the other hand has recorded a save percentage of .880 and a GSAA of -1.19. The Devils can exploit Edmonton’s goaltending if they can find a way to create scoring chances against a team that has played well defensively so far this season.

Key Injuries

Obviously, the catalysts driving Edmonton’s scoring are Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Unfortunately for the Oilers, McDavid suffered an ankle injury in last week’s game against Columbus and is expected to miss two to three weeks. In other Oilers injury news, forward Evander Kane is on the Injured Reserve recovering from a hip injury.

Lineups

Oilers

Here is how the Edmonton set their lines and pairings for Sunday night’s game against Calgary

Unfortunately for the Devils, it looks like Pickard will get the start in net for the second game of this back-to-back for Edmonton.

Devils

As per Amanda Stein, the Devils practiced with the following lines and pairings. Note the adjustments to the fourth line which will be discussed in a minute.

What to Watch For

Special Teams Matchups

Last year the Oilers were dangerous on the power play and ranked fifth in the NHL in Goals For (GF) with the man advantage. Not a surprising statement with McDavid and Draisaitl lurking on the Oilers’ top power play unit. That has not been the case so far this season. Edmonton is tied for 30th in the NHL in GF this season with only five. The Oilers are not likely to improve that ranking without McDavid. Of course, the Devils should avoid taking penalties, but Edmonton does not make opponents pay as much as they have in the past.

This season New Jersey’s power play has been good, ranking third in the league with 13 goals while on the man advantage. The Oilers have struggled on the penalty kill, allowing 13 Goals Against (GA), which is the worst in the NHL. If the Devils skate like they are able and can generate some power plays, they could exploit that match up to create scoring opportunities in this game.

Nico Hischier

The captain may not have scored against Calgary in a sloppy game on Friday night; However, in the games before Calgary, Hischier had a goal and two assists against Vancouver, a goal against Anaheim, a goal versus the Islanders, two goals against Detroit…need I go on? Nico has been hot and, as one of the most underrated players in the NHL (in my opinion), I am here for it.

Next Man Up Fourth Line

Nathan Bastian suffered a jaw injury during a fight with Calgary’s Ryan Lomberg last week and is slated to miss extended time. New Jersey’s fourth line had already been hindered by the knee injury to Curtis Lazar, who was added to the Injured Reserve. In the absence of Lazar and Bastian, Justin Dowling and Kurtis MacDermid have been promoted to the fourth line. Dowling caught my attention during the preseason with his aggressive and relentless style of play. The 34-year-old forward recorded an assist in the game against Vancouver. I am interested to see how Dowling works with Tomas Tatar. Dowling has shown he can forecheck and is willing to battle for pucks below the goal line, which may spark some offensive opportunities with Tatar.

Uncle Rico

This is more of a sentimental pick and I understand why some might get tired of this played narrative, but Adam Henrique will forever have a special place in my heart. Now limited to a third line center role in Edmonton, Henrique has only recorded one goal this season. Uncle Rico did record four goals and three assists for the Oilers in the playoffs last year. Devils fans know Henrique tends to score big goals (insert Doc Emrick’s call here).

Your Thoughts

What are you watching for tonight? Will the Devils capitalize on special teams? Will Nico come back with a big game? Let us know in the comments below. Thank you for reading and GO DEVILS!