This is the end of the regular season road games for the New Jersey Devils. They are in Massachusetts to play a Boston Bruins team that embarassed them last Tuesday at the Rock. Will the Devils get revenge? Does it even matter? Learn a bit more in this short preview.
This is the final road game of the regular season for the New Jersey Devils. It is the start of their final back-to-back of the regular season. It is also a chance for revenge as last Tuesday’s game went so badly. However, it is the final game of the season for the opponent, the Boston Bruins. Revenge may not come so easily.
The Time: 7:00 PM ET
The Broadcast: TV: MSGSN, NESN; Audio: Devils Hockey Radio
The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils at the Boston Bruins
The Last Devils Game: The Devils hosted the Islanders on an early Sunday afternoon. The Devils went out there and did a whole lot of not much. The effort was not that good. The intensity was not there. Paul Cotter got tossed in the second period for a head shot on Adam Pelech. The Devils killed all five minutes of the resulting major penalty and made it look easy. It was the high point of the game for the Devils. The low point came within the final minute of the second when a brain-dead turnover by Timo Meier in the defensive zone went right to Bo Horvat, who buried the shot past Jacob Markstrom. The Devils responded by, well, trying to try late. Nothing got in against a team that conceded 16 goals in their last two games. The Devils played like a team that knew the game did not matter and so they lost their third in a row, 0-1. Jackson recapped the wasted afternoon here.
The Last Bruins Game: The Bruins visited Pittsburgh in the middle of Sunday afternoon. This game also had nothing to play for beyond lottery balls. You would not know it from how the Bruins came out. Just before ending the first period, the 13th shot of the period came from Elias Lindholm and into the net to make it 1-0 for Boston. In the second period, Fabian Lysell scored his first NHL goal to punish a tripping call on Ville Koivunen. Morgan Geekie added a score past the halfway mark to make it 3-0 for his fifth straight game with a goal. Late in the period, Nikita Zadorov got called for hooking Connor Dewar. He then said some inappropriate things to the official as he got a second penalty for abuse of officials. Rickard Rakell punished the one-man-made two-man advantage with a goal to make it 3-1. But the Penguins could not break through. Jakub Lauko ended it with an empty netter to give Boston a 4-1 win.
The Last Devils-Bruins Game: The Devils hosted Boston last Tuesday on April 8. The Devils had a chance to clinch a playoff spot with just one point earned. The Devils came out on the ice and completely filled their pants. They looked and played as an unprepared team. Boston took them to school over and over. A brutal giveaway by Jesper Bratt gave David Pastrnak a goal. A long shot from Michael Callahan beat Jacob Markstrom in the last minute of the first to make it 2-0. Jakub Lauko made it 3-0 early in the second. The Devils emerged to make it a game after halfway through the second, which is when I believe they got their first shot on net in the period. During a delayed penalty call, Stefan Noesen scored to put the Devils on the board. Timo Meier scored on the next shift to make it 3-2. A comeback was possible. Maybe probable. Perhaps the Devils were awoken to the reality that they were in a hockey game. But Boston killed the comeback with a backbreaking last minute goal by Casey Mittelstadt to put the Devils down 4-2 going into the third. The Devils’ response was to play an even sleepier third period. Morgan Geekie, Fraser Minten, and Cole Kopeke ran the score up to 7-2 as the Devils just conceded the game. It was a huge blowout loss to a really bad Boston team at home and with a chance to clinch a playoff spot. Boo. Ian recapped the loss here.
The Goal: Since this was not heeded in the last preview, I am going to repeat it. Take this game seriously and win the matchups without David Pastrnak on the ice. Again: David Pastrnak is one of the best wingers in the world. When he is on the ice, he is a danger. The Devils need to show no mercy to the other forward lines. Or at least a competent effort at playing NHL hockey. If they play the Bruins like the NHL team than that the Devils are, then they can get some revenge tonight.
Also: Try not to get hurt. The playoffs are around the corner. There is no glory in sacrificing the body in this game when far important games are about to happen real soon. I am not asking the Devils to play like it is Game 7. I am asking for an honest and respectable performance. A middle ground. Please do not go into the season ender tomorrow with a four-game losing streak.
Since The Last Meeting Was A Week Ago: There is not much to explain about the Bruins’ season as a whole that I already did not write in last week’s preview. The Bruins have been real bad since the Devils beat them in January. They have been real bad since the trade deadline. They were really good against the Devils last week but that was assisted by a listless performance from the Devils. David Pastrnak is still an elite player and the primary threat of the Bruins. Morgan Geekie has been a hot scorer as well as prolific on Pastrnak’s line. He is a secondary threat. A potentially good night from the goalie is a tertiary threat. Although if New Jersey continues its “struggle to get 25 shots on net” offense, that may not matter so much.
Expected Changes for New Jersey: Chris covered this yesterday afternoon. Paul Cotter’s match penalty for his head shot on Pelech earned him a two-game suspension. He will be out for this game and tomorrow’s game against Detroit. The team probably knew Cotter was going to get something given that he was lined up with a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety. Therefore, they called up someone from Utica. No, not Brian Halonen. He got hurt in the Comets’ last game and the Devils have consistently passed him over despite his production with the Comets. No, not Nathan Legare or Shane Bowers, who have received tastes in the past. No, not captain Ryan Schmelzer who is just ahead of Halonen in team scoring by a point. Or even former NHL player Max Willman. The Devils called up Marc McLaughlin.
McLaughlin was acquired from Boston amid the myriad of minor deals announced after the March 7 trade deadline. The Devils sent Daniil Misyul to Boston for McLaughlin. McLaughlin is a right-handed shot who is listed as both a center and a right winger. He has never been much of a producer with Providence and with 6 assists and 19 shots in 14 games with Utica, it does not appear he is blossoming up state. In fact, he was not much of a point producer with Boston College either. Points are not much of his thing; defense is and I am unsure that really fits what the Devils could use in terms of a depth forward. He did play 12 games and get two goals with Boston in the NHL this season so this reads more of a move to just see what they have him in and let him play one more time in his hometown. Speaking of, McLaughlin just happens to be the from North Billerica, Massachusetts – right by Tom Fitzgerald’s own hometown of Billerica, Massachusetts. What a coincidence.
Anyway, expect McLaughlin to draw in somewhere on the Devils’ deficient bottom six. Take your pick between Curtis Lazar and Justin Dowling. Or even Nathan Bastian. For the others, the morning skate shall reveal other moves. Stefan Noesen was given a day off against the Islanders. He could draw back in. Other, more big-minute players, could be rested in Nico Hischier or Jesper Bratt. Although that would undercut an already punchless Devils offense that has just four goals scored in their last three games. As this begins a back-to-back set for the Devils, expect Jake Allen to get a start in one of these two games. Markstrom will likely get the other. I would prefer Allen just to get him in fresher but it is a 50-50 call.
Expected Changes for Boston: Boston has been active with their own roster transactions. This may be more in the vein in wanting to see what they have in their system. Yesterday, per the team’s official website, the team called up forward John Farinacci and defenseman Federic Brunet from Providence. In response, they sent Riley Duran and Michael Callahan down to Rhode Island. Farinacci has not exactly been a producer for the P-Bruins with just nine goals, 28 assists, and 81 shots in 56 games. It is a bit more than Lysell, but Lysell’s potential is a bit higher. Brunet was second among defensemen in production with 5 goals and 24 points to go with 106 shots in 68 games. Not that I would expect a lot from either, but if the Devils repeat last week’s performance, then they may get on the scoresheet. Callahan did, after all. Although Callahan did not play against Pittsburgh, so if Brunet is dressed, he would have to replace someone. Maybe Ian Mitchell, who only played 15 minutes and change against the Pens? At least Farinacci can just step in Duran’s spot in the lineup.
I would expect Jeremy Swayman to start in net for the Bruins. Joonas Korpisalo did get the previous start against Pittsburgh. With this game being Boston’s end of the season, it makes sense to give the team’s #1 one more start. All else will likely remain the same from their win over Pittsburgh. This means you, the People Who Matter, should get ready for a lot of David Pastrnak, Morgan Geekie, and Elias Lindholm as a top line.
One Last Thought: It may not mean much, but I would like a Devils win just to proverbially wash the taste of last week’s game out of one’s mouth. And Sunday’s game. And even last Friday’s game. Call it a Listerine Game if you must.
Your Take: I want to know your take on this rematch. Will the Devils bother to show up tonight for this one? What do you want to see ahead of the postseason out of this game? What should the Devils do to score more goals than the B’s tonight? Please leave your answers and other thoughts about tonight’s game in the comments. Thank you for reading.