On Saturday night, The New Jersey Devils (16-10-1) are heading over to Boston to take on the Bruins (16-13-0) in the second game of their back-to-back series. With both teams close in points, this game will be one that you’ll definitely want to see.
Coming into this game the Devils are coming off a frustrating 3-0 shutout loss to the Dallas Stars and the Vegas Golden Knights. In this past game, New Jersey was unable to generate offensive plays due to Dallas’s strong defense, and they seemed to lose their spark of play after the first goal, which is what ultimately led them to their demise. Despite the tough loss, Boston should not overlook the Devils though, as they have always been an unpredictable team.
However, the Boston Bruins are coming into this game on a better note with a 5-2 win against the St Louis Blues. Boston was able to add that game as another win under their belts due to a strong start, effective offense, and consistent goaltending from Joonas Korpisalo. Nonetheless, New Jersey shouldn’t take the Bruins lightly given their strong resilience.
Given New Jersey’s recent increase in fighting and roughing throughout games, it’s almost promised that both teams may encounter each other in a conflict during this game, whether it be with words or fists.
Onto the goaltending matchups, it’s likely that Sheldon Keefe will give Devils goaltender, Jake Allen the nod for the upcoming game as Jacob Markstrom was just in net the other night. Allen currently has a .911 save percentage and a 2.48 goals against average. On the other hand, there’s a high chance Boston could give the nod to Joonas Korpisalo again given his poise in their recent win.
Now on the ice, New Jersey is going to have to keep their eyes open for some Bruins players who may pose as a threat, some of these players being Alex Steeves and Morgan Geekie. Steeves has made a huge, surpriseful impact within the organization even though he is only signed to a one-year deal, he’s most importantly helped the team with dealing with injuries by being a consistent player. Then, for Geekie who has recorded one of the hardest shots in the NHL this season, and he’s stayed consistently healthy throughout the season.
The threats go both ways though, as the Bruins are going to have to watch out for some of New Jersey’s players on the ice. Two players who have seemingly made the biggest impact lately are Timo Meier and Nico Hischier. Meier has been able to step up and fill Jack Hughes shoes, who’s out for injury, while also staying consistent in every game, Meier is also close to leading the team in points. Onto Hischier, who is also close to leading the team in points while also leading the team in goals with 10 of them. Both of these players put together are also a bigger threat, Boston is going to have to play even harder if they wanna beat both of these Swiss players if they end up on a line together.
To watch this upcoming game and see who can take the win home, tune into MSG networks at 7:00pm.
