Game Preview #55: New Jersey Devils at Pittsburgh Penguins

Following a disappointing loss in Buffalo, the New Jersey Devils will visit the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight and hopefully try to make things right. Learn more about tonight’s matchup with this game preview.

The New Jersey Devils are in Western Pennsylvania tonight to take on a team that may be selling off from 2024-25. Not that they can be taken lightly because no one in this league should be taken lightly. As evident by this recent Sunday afternoon in Buffalo.

The Time: 7:00 PM ET

The Broadcast: TV: MSGSN2, SN-PIT; Audio: Devils Hockey Radio

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils at the Pittsburgh Penguins

The Last Devils Game: The New Jersey Devils were in Buffalo for a game that started at 1 PM ET. The Devils did not really get going until about 2:30 PM ET. More seriously, the first period effort was poor. Highlighted by ill-advised pinches by Dougie Hamilton, Jesper Bratt missing pucks, and Brenden Dillon being an expensive pylon. The Sabres put the Devils down 0-3 in the first with scores from Tage Thompson (rebound), John-Jason Peterka (finishing a rush with Thompson), and Ryan McLeod (shorthanded breakaway). The Devils got some life in the second period when Paul Cotter jammed at a puck past Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen. The call on the ice was no goal but after a lengthy review from Toronto, the goal was awarded as it just went over the line. The Devils had some life until Hamilton bumped into UPL for a goaltender interference penalty. While the Sabres did not convert on that power play, they tilted the rink once more. They were punished with Jason Zucker tapping in a goal amid a mess by the Devils in their own end. Down 1-4, Jake Allen was out for the third and Nico Daws was inserted in. Then things got a bit weird. Cotter rifled a shot off a rush just over UPL’s shoulder short-side 18 seconds into the third. Down 2-4. Over five minutes in, Thompson hooked Jonas Siegenthaler. That was uncalled. Stefan Noesen hit the big winger and got him in the head. That was called, given a major, reviewed and then assessed a match penalty by way of Rule 48. Shortly after that penalty kill began, Bratt and The Big Deal rushed up and Jack Hughes scored his first shorthanded goal of his career to make it 3-4. The Devils also killed the penalty. Down a goal and ten minutes left, would the Devils come back? No. Not with two power plays in the third. Not with just four shots on net since the Noesen penalty was killed. The Devils lost 3-4 and as Ian correctly wrote in his recap, the first period doomed them in this one.

The Last Penguins Game: The Pittsburgh Penguins returned home after a long and not-so-successful road trip on Saturday night against Nashville. They also returned as a slightly different team. After trading J.T. Miller to Our Hated Rivals, Vancouver sent New York’s top-13 protected first round pick in 2025, forward Danton Heinen, defenseman Vincent Desharnais, and prospect Melvin Fernstrom (third round, 2024) for Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor. Heinen and Desharnais made their Penguins debut on Saturday night. The night really belonged to Alex Nedeljkovic. He stopped all 25 shots the Predators put up that night. It also helped that the Penguins owned the shot-count and put some pucks past Juuse Saros. Philip Tomasino’s goal halfway through the first stood up as the game winner. A Sidney Crosby goal halfway through the second provided insurance – and marked four straight games with a goal. A Bryan Rust empty netter with just over two minutes left sealed up a 3-0 home win for the Penguins. Hooks Orpik recapped the win here at PensBurgh.

The Last Devils-Penguins Game: Back on December 21, the Devils hosted the Penguins for the first time this season. After a dreary first period where both teams combined for nine shots, the Devils took over with a late second period goal and locked it down in a hardworking effort in the third. Stefan Noesen provided that late second period score to put the Devils up 1-0. In a dominant third period, Nico Hischier added to the lead for 2-0 and Timo Meier sank in an empty netter. The Devils were in their Defensive Dominance of December mode so they held the Penguins to 12 shots. Which included two (2) jaw-dropping stops by Jacob Markstrom to keep the Penguins off the board entirely. The Devils won 3-0. I recapped the win here. For the other side, Hooks Orpik recapped the win at PensBurgh.

The Goal: Tonight’s game has a 7 PM ET start time and the puck will drop around 7:08 PM ET. Start the dang game on time, Devils! Seriously, the Devils’ loss in Buffalo and last Monday’s loss in Philadelphia and several other poor outings this season have had poor first periods in common. It is one thing to give up the first goal. It is another to take several minutes to get a first or second shot on net. Or to spend a period trying to figure out the rhythm of the game or understanding what it will take to make some passes. Or, worse, spot the team three goals within the first period or even the first half of the game. This is odd to write about for a team entering its 55th game of the season and has making-the-playoff odds above 90%. Yet, it is true: the Devils need to play better in the first period. Again, it doomed them on Sunday, it doomed them in Philly last Monday, and it will continue to doom them if they do not make this right.

Aside: Expect a more detailed post about first periods this Friday provided something else does not happen.

Changes Since December 21: It does not seem like that long ago but both teams have underwent some changes since these two teams played each other in Newark.

For the Devils, they hit a slump and had a bad January. They lost Erik Haula to injury. They lost Jacob Markstrom to injury. They lost Nico Hischier to injury too. Markstrom shut them out on December 21 and Hischier put up three points that night. Down two centers, their starting goaltender (Allen has done the best he can in relief), and continuing to dress a bottom six that has provided very little value, the team has been struggling to tread water in the standings. As a result, they have fallen from competing with Washington for first place to falling to third place in the Metropolitan. The Devils are 4-4-2 in their last 10 and with a recent regulation loss to Buffalo, the vibes around the Devils are pretty poor at the moment.

For the Penguins, they have seen the bottom of the division standings. They are not quite out of anything yet but their playoff odds are long shots already. Pittsburgh dumped Tristan Jarry – their starting goaltender on December 21 – to the minors after no one claimed their contract. Rumors have swirled about almost everyone on the Penguins being made available for a trade. GM Kyle Dubas has dismissed claims of a total fire sale. However, he has already moved Pettersson (who did not play on December 21) and O’Connor (who did for 11:55 and two shot attempts) for a package that included a first round pick. That is a sign of a selling team. Which makes sense as the Penguins have not done anything to suggest they will surge to make it look like they have something to play for. They are 4-6-0 in their last 10 and are only ahead of Philly in the standings due to the regulation win tiebreaker (15 to 14). More deals could be coming.

The point is that the situations are different than what they were the last time these two played.

A Potential Return for New Jersey: The situation may get a bit better for the Devils on the injury front tonight. Erik Haula returned to practice on Monday. Sam Kasan reported the following lines on X:

Haula being lined up with two NHL players in Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer is a good sign that he could be coming back tonight. Key word is could. Should he have a set-back from his ankle or the team wants to wait another game, then he could be out. I take this to mean that he is close to returning at a minimum.

This is a good thing. Not that Haula has been a game-changing player this season. He has just five goals, six assists, and 72 shots on net in 42 games with not-bad-but-not-great 5-on-5 on-ice rates. However, it is a huge improvement over Justin Dowling or Curtis Lazar. Both in terms of 5-on-5 on-ice rates and offensive production. Seriously, Dowling (20) and Lazar (19) do not even combine for close to as many shots on net that Haula has put up. While some will point to Haula has been a more successful faceoff taker than both – which is true – he has also been a more successful player once the faceoff is done with. Which has been a real issue for both centers making up the bottom-six for this past month. Haula’s return is an upgrade even if he is not someone the Devils should treat as some kind of foundational player.

With Hischier still out injured, Haula being thrown onto a scoring line is more out of necessity than anything else. This means Dowling and Lazar will still have to play center for the time being. The good news is that Sheldon Keefe can throw Haula out for some extra shifts and zone starts if he is feeling good enough to handle the load.

As for the remainder of the lines, they are close to what they have been. Kurtis MacDermid drawing out of the line up ensures that the Devils have at least a full lineup of guys who can play more than five minutes. With Nico Daws getting the third period in Buffalo, Jake Allen should be rested enough to get this start. As difficult as the opponent would be, I would prefer Daws to get the Las Vegas game on Thursday if he needs to get a start if only because it is a home game. We shall see what direction they go in later today. The defense pairings look to remain the same from the Buffalo game. Which leads me to this point.

Defenders Who Need to Be Better: The Devils need better games from Dougie Hamilton and Brenden Dillon tonight. Hamilton was pinching way too aggressively for a player with the lack of speed he has. It burnt the Devils against Buffalo. Dillon was just not aware enough in his own end, which is shocking given that has been the main part of his game for his entire career in this league. The duo are not only split up but they do not have a high-event forward line in front of them to balance out whatever they allow. It remains to be seen whether these pairings will be effective. I can appreciate Keefe and his staff wanting to keep this going than going back to the pairings used for most of the previous three months. But it is imperative that two of the veterans on the blueline turn it around from this past Sunday.

Who Are These Penguins Again? Team Level: A quick recap of team stats for the Penguins should help remind us who they are. 5-on-5 rate numbers are from Natural Stat Trick, success rates for special teams are from NHL.com.

• 5-on-5 Shot Attempts: 60.87 CF/60 (7th in NHL, NJ is 8th), 59.51 CA/60 (23rd in NHL, NJ is 8th)
• 5-on-5 Shots: 27.7 SF/60 (13th in NHL, NJ is 18th), 29.28 SA/60 (27th in NHL, NJ is 5th)
• 5-on-5 Scoring Chances: 27.04 SCF/60 (12th in NHL, NJ is 4th), 27.98 SCA/60 (25th in NHL, NJ is 5th)
• 5-on-5 High Danger Scoring Chances: 11.77 HDCF/60 (5th in NHL, NJ is 9th), 11.52 (26th in NHL, NJ is 7th)
• 5-on-5 Expected Goals: 2.73 xGF/60 (4th in NHL, NJ is 7th), 2.63 xGA/60 (24th in NHL, NJ is 8th)
• 5-on-5 Actual Goals: 2.29 GF/60 (23rd in NHL, NJ is 18th), 2.90 GA/60 (30th in NHL, NJ is 8th)
• 5-on-5 Shooting Percentage: 8.25% (28th in NHL, NJ is 18th)
• 5-on-5 Save Percentage: 90.11% (28th in NHL, NJ is 13th)
• Power Play Success Rate: 25.5%, 39-for-153 (6th in NHL, NJ is 3rd)
• Penalty Kill Success Rate: 78.8%, 115-for-146 (18th in NHL, NJ is 4th)

At a high-level, the Penguins are a team that will generate plenty of attempts and have been adept at generating high-danger chances. They are good at generating scoring chances – shots from the inside circles and high slot plus the slot and crease – as well. The team that features Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, and so forth can generate plenty of offense. Their issue on that end is that a lot of those pucks do not go in. You think the Devils have been slumping? The Penguins have been snake bit over the whole season given a bottom-five shooting percentage. Which is made worse by their defensive play. As a whole, the Penguins have been conceding more shots on net than they take themselves in 5-on-5 play and close to as many scoring chances as they allow. This means their goaltenders have had to have been good this season. With a bottom-five team save percentage, they have not been that good this season.

Special teams have been positive for the Penguins. Their power play is potent and their penalty kill is not so bad. The Devils should be careful about taking penalties, especially in trying to exert their physical selves. They did that to a fault against Buffalo, whom was not impacted by it except when they had a power play – shorthanded goal excepted. But 5-on-5 has been where the Penguins have suffered. All the more reason for the Devils to come out strong and play well from the first puck drop instead of the first faceoff of the second period.

Who Are These Penguins Again? Player Level: The Penguins dumped Jarry so their goaltenders have been Alex Nedeljkovic and Joel Blomqvist. I would expect Nedeljkovic as he has been coming off a shutout and has been receiving more appearances than Blomqvist. The 3-0 win over Nashville has boosted his overall save percentage to a shade under 90%. His last five games have been good. He put three performances above 90% in addition to the 100% against Nashville. The only poor game was in conceding four goals on 33 shots in Anaheim. He could be a bit of a challenge for the Devils tonight.

Key word is could. Who knows with this Devils team. They struggled with Ersson last Monday and then sent him to the bench with 4 goals against him last Wednesday. They got robbed a few times by UPL and still put three past him on Sunday. And in between those games, they hung four on Jeremy Swayman and chased him. Even with that unknown factor known as finishing, I would still expect Nedeljkovic to have a good game with his recent performances. Should the Devils put several past him too, then maybe that is a good sign for the team’s finishing. We shall see.

The Penguins blueline did keep Nashville to 25 shots on net on Saturday, which is a positive development for their defense that has been rather leaky this season. The blueline is expected to be led by Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson. Both of whom can bring the offense from the backend. Karlsson has 35 points in 54 games to go with 136 shots, third to Crosby and Rickard Rakell. Letang has 20 points in 47 games with 106 shots, fifth to Crosby, Rakell, Karlsson, and Rust. They are quite active. The trick will be to make them play defense as much as possible. Should they want to pick on one, make it Letang. In addition to worse production, Letang has the weaker 5-on-5 numbers compared with Karlsson – even if Karlsson’s xGA/60 is a high 2.91. If their ice-times are any indication, expect Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Matt Grzelcyk to play plenty of minutes. Ryan Graves and Vincent Desharnais may complete their six-pack as a third pairing. The Devils are on the road so they will not get the benefit of most matchups. But, again, the goal will be to make them defend as much as they can. Should they let Karlsson and/or Letang have plenty of space and time on the puck, they will make them pay.

Up front, the Penguins are still led by Crosby. He is riding a four-game goal streak. He has 17 goals in total with 57 points and 152 shots in 54 games. He is still very much the main man in Pittsburgh. He is not someone to stop but someone you hope to somewhat contain. Or have a diving goalie tip a puck with a glove to put a near-gimmie off the post like Markstrom did on December 21. He rules.

The rest of the Penguins, well, it is a mixed bag. Rickard Rakell has been hot with a 23 goal, 45 point season. Rust has continued to be an efficient player with 40 points in 46 games. However, it is bit shocking to me to see Evgeni Malkin just fifth on the team in points with 34 points and only 80 shots on net in 47 games. He should not be fully discounted but it appears he is not the ace he once was. The remainder of the group is a collection of guys who chip in here and there. Michael Bunting has been a power play collector with 14 PP points out of 27 total points. Anthony Beauvillier does have 11 goals out of 15 points. Philip Tomasino has emerged a bit with 11 points in 25 games since being moved to Pittsburgh. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, they have plenty of guys who they have taken a flyer at one point or another on but has not emerged so much from Noel Acciari to Jesse Puljujarvi to Cody Glass to Kevin Hayes to Blake Lizotte. Maybe Heinen helps out with the depth, but the forward group is still led by Crosby then by Rakell and Rust then by Malkin and then by the rest.

One Last Thought: Seriously, start the game on time. It may provide an edge. Not that the Devils have allowed a lot in first periods but being outscored 35-42 is not great. The Penguins are also not so great in them either as they have been outscored 45-52 in first periods in this season. Unlike the Devils, the Penguins have been outscored by bigger margins in following periods: 50-61 in second periods and 55-72 in third periods. Should the Devils get up first in the game, they can really put the screws to the Pens.

Your Take: The Devils should try to make things right in Pittsburgh after a disappointing afternoon in Buffalo. Now I turn to you. What do you think will happen tonight? Will the Devils turn it around and get a win in Pittsburgh? How do you think they will score more goals than the other team? Please leave your answers and other thoughts about tonight’s game in the comments. Thank you for reading.