Game #16 Preview: Montreal Canadiens at New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils return home to face a struggling Montreal Canadiens team. Let’s look at the matchup in this game preview.

The Essentials:

Matchup: Montreal Canadiens at New Jersey Devils

Date: November 7, 2024

Time: 7:00 PM ET

Broadcast: MSGSN, TSN2, RDS, ESPN+

Listen: Devils Hockey Network

The Last Devils Game: The New Jersey Devils defeated the Edmonton Oilers by a final score of 3-0. Check out Jackson’s recap of that game.

The Last Canadiens Game: The Canadiens lost to the Calgary Flames in overtime 3-2. Check out the NHL.com video recap of that game.

Recent Momentum: The Canadiens have been on skid, losing four of their last five games. Montreal’s last win came against the Philadelphia Flyer on October 27th, which Devils fans appreciate. The Devils have two losses (one in overtime) and three wins in their last five games, including two shutout wins.

Montreal by the Numbers

Per Natural Stat Trick, the Habs are tied for 16th in the NHL in Goals For (GF) with only 35. Cole Caufield has scored 10 of those 35 goals, but more on that below. The Canadiens rank 23rd with only 2.68 GF per game. Montreal has allowed 52 goals, the second worst in the NHL trailing only Colorado. The Canadiens are also ranked second worst in the league in Scoring Chances Against (SCA), allowing 453 so far this season, and High Danger Chances Against (HDCA) with 193 (per Natural Stat Trick). The Devils should get plenty of chances to score in this one.

The Lineups

Montreal Canadiens

Per Jonathan Bernier, here were the lines and pairings for the Canadiens versus the Flames.

New Jersey Devils

Head coach Sheldon Keefe utilized the following line combinations and pairings against Edmonton:

Offense

Timo Meier – Nico Hischier – Dawson Mercer

Ondrej Palat – Jack Hughes – Jesper Bratt

Paul Cotter – Erik Haula – Stefan Noesen

Kurtis MacDermid – Justin Dowling – Tomas Tatar

Defense

Brenden Dillon – Dougie Hamilton

Jonas Siegenthaler – Johnathan Kovacevic

Luke Hughes – Brett Pesce

Goaltending

I’d expect Jacob Markstrom to get the start at The Rock on Thursday night.

The fourth line struggled against Edmonton and I would not be surprised if Keefe tweaked that line. I still think Dowling and Tatar have the potential to generate some offense, but MacDermid doesn’t fit in anywhere. Maybe now that the Devils are back home, Keefe will call up Nolan Foote or Brian Halonen. Check out Chris’ post on the other potential solutions for the depleted fourth line.

What to Watch For

Caufield is on a Tear

Cole Caufield received the Molson Cup for his performance in October. The Montreal left winger scored 10 goals in 11 games during the first month of the season, tying Nico Hischier (and several others) for the NHL lead in goals (as of the writing of this post). It usually falls to the Hischier line and Siegenthaler pairing to shut down the opposing top line. New Jersey will have to find a way to dump a bucket of cold water on the Caufield – Suzuki – Dach line.

Young Goaltending and Vulnerable Defense

The Devils faced off against Montreal in the preseason and one of the topics I covered in that post was the young goaltenders for the Canadiens. Jake Allen was traded to New Jersey clearing the way for Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau. So how have the young goalies fared so far? Not as well as Montreal would have hoped. Primeau, the backup to Montembeault, has struggled mightily posting a save percentage of .861, 4.38 goals per game (GAA), and -3.67 Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA) per Natural Stat Trick through 6 games. Montembeault has done his best to bail out a struggling defense, recording a save percentage of .898 and 3.67 GSAA. Despite the GSAA statistics, Montembeault is still allowing 3.37 goals per game (per Natural Stat Trick).

Those statistics indicate that the Canadiens are floundering defensively. Per Frank Seravalli, the team is currently searching the trade market for some help. The Habs have had some injury woes on the blue line and are trying to add a top-four, right-handed defenseman to make life more bearable for their young goaltenders. Additionally, the Canadiens’ second pairing consists of David Savard, who is entering his 15th NHL season, and rookie Lane Hutson. As Seravalli mentions in the clip below, Hutson is being thrust into nearly 23 minutes of ice time per game very early in his young career. Despite the strong play from Montembeault, the Devils should be able to exploit Montreal’s defense and score goals in this game.

Strong Play from the Hughes – Pesce Pairing

Jackson mentioned it in his game recap, but in the Devils’ last game where the Oilers dominated play, Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce excelled. Luke Hughes had one of his best games of the season and recorded 69.36 xGF%. This is the type of play Devils fans were hoping to see from this pairing, and they are delivering. I’d like to see this momentum continue with another strong effort in tonight’s game against Montreal.

Your Thoughts

What are you watching for? How do you think the Hughes – Pesce pairing has been playing? Do you think the Devils put up big numbers offensively tonight? Let us know in the comments below. Thank you for reading and GO DEVILS!