We’re nearly three-quarters through the season, and the Devils need to give themselves separation from bubble teams.
The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (30-19-6) vs. Las Vegas Golden Knights (31-17-6).
The Broadcast: TV: MSGSN***, SCRIPPS; Audio: Devils Hockey Radio
The Time: 7:00 PM ET
No Nico, No Siegenthaler — Nemec Recalled
This morning, the Devils announced that Nico Hischier would be placed on injured reserve, retroactive to January 25. The corresponding move to putting Hischier on IR was to recall Simon Nemec, as Jonas Siegenthaler left the game on Tuesday with a lower-body injury. While the news about Hischier is unfortunate, it seemed somewhat likely that the team would hold him out of games through the Four Nations Tournament — and they only have one more game on Saturday (against Montreal) before that Tournament begins.
As for Siegenthaler, the team is in murkier waters. Siegenthaler has not just been one of the most valuable players on the team, but arguably the most valuable shutdown defenseman in the entire NHL this season. If the Devils are going to win tonight, Simon Nemec is not only going to have to bring his offensive creativity to the table, but someone is going to have to play a good game on their off-hand.
I do not think it should be Dougie Hamilton, as he is our current number one right-handed defenseman, and he should be paired with Luke Hughes in offensive situations tonight. Some may expect it to be Nemec playing the left side, but I would really expect Brett Pesce to see some time there tonight. As a more defensively responsible veteran, Pesce likely understands the angles he needs to take and how to control his gaps more effectively on the left side at this level than Nemec does.
Also, between 2018 and 2021, Pesce played 91 minutes with Dougie Hamilton for Carolina, with the pair running a CF% of 56.62, outshooting opponents 71-51 and outscoring them 10-3. It may be possible that our best pairing options tonight are as follows:
Pesce-Hamilton
Hughes-Nemec
Dillon-Kovacevic
It would surely be nice if Nemec or Kovacevic were able to do this on the bottom two pairings, but I would look to the veteran to play the tougher role tonight. Dillon-Kovacevic can then play as a defensive pairing, in place of Siegenthaler, while Nemec would get much of the game to play off of Luke’s defense and rush ability.
Careful of the Desperate Team
The Vegas Golden Knights have little to worry about, standings-wise, right now. They have nine points on the nearest non-playoff team in the Pacific Division, and they are a top-ten team by both goals scored and allowed. However, the goings are not always great for good teams. Since January 9, they are 3-8-3, scoring 2.5 goals per game and allowing a touch over three against. Of course, Vegas was 17-3-1 in the 21 games preceding that — so the truth is somewhere in the middle, where their 31-17-6 record is.
But for the time being, this is probably going to be an angry, desperate Knights team. They have lost four straight — two to the Islanders and Rangers, and two in overtime to the Jackets and Stars. This is their second four-game losing streak of their slide, and I doubt they want to make it five. This is also a team that just picked up Brandon Saad, but still feels like they are having trouble generating offense and scoring goals.
So, it would have been nice to have Nico Hischier, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Jacob Markstrom tonight, given that’s a top-two two-way center, the top shutdown defenseman, and one of the top goalies in the league by goals saved above expected. Against a team struggling to score, those are the exact guys in the lineup who would stand the greatest chance of getting in the other team’s head.
Erik Haula, though, played well in his return to the lineup, and he should continue his shutdown work tonight. And I am not sure whether the team plans on going back to Nico Daws, but this is a double-edged sword of a game for them. If Daws plays and plays well, he would have a huge confidence boost beating a top playoff team. If he were to get shelled by an angry, desperate team, well…Keefe has some decisions to make.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of tonight’s game? Will you be watching, on TV or in person? Who do you think is the key to beating the Knights? Who will step up to fill the defensive void left by Siegenthaler? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.