The New Jersey Devils (28-27-2) take on the Buffalo Sabres (32-19-6) at the Prudential Center tonight.
Lineups and Injuries
Devils' projected lineup per NHL.com.
Timo Meier -- Nico Hischier -- Dawson Mercer
Jesper Bratt -- Jack Hughes -- Connor Brown
Arseny Gritsyuk -- Cody Glass -- Lenni Hameenaho
Paul Cotter -- Nick Bjugstad -- Maxim Tsyplakov
Brett Pesce -- Johnathan Kovacevic
Jonas Siegenthaler -- Dougie Hamilton
Brenden Dillon -- Simon Nemec
Jake Allen
Jacob Markstrom
Scratched: Colton White, Marc McLaughlin, Luke Glendening, Evgenii Dadonov
Injured: Luke Hughes (shoulder), Zack MacEwen (ACL), Stefan Noesen (knee)
Sabres projected lineup per NHL.com
Peyton Krebs -- Tage Thompson -- Alex Tuch
Jason Zucker -- Ryan McLeod -- Jack Quinn
Noah Ostlund -- Josh Norris -- Josh Doan
Josh Dunne -- Tyson Kozak -- Beck Malenstyn
Mattias Samuelsson -- Rasmus Dahlin
Bowen Byram -- Owen Power
Jacob Bryson -- Michael Kesselring
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Alex Lyon
Scratched: Zach Metsa, Anton Wahlberg, Colten EllisInjured: Zach Benson (upper body), Jordan Greenway (middle body), Conor Timmins (broken leg), Jiri Kulich (blood clot), Justin Danforth (lower body)
Player to Watch
Jack Hughes is the player to watch as he returns to the United States after scoring a golden goal for Team USA, winning them gold.
Hughes was absent from practice on Tuesday. Head coach Sheldon Keefe spoke about the expectations for the forward with NJD.tv.
“He got in late last night, so it was a matter of giving him an opportunity to get extra rest,” Keefe said of his absence from morning skate. “It’s been a whirlwind for him, but he’ll come in and get ready to go for tonight.”
Storyline to Watch
The storyline to watch is the Olympians playing their first game back since the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Seven Devils players participated in the tournament: Timo Meier, Jonas Siegenthaler, Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Simon Nemec, and Jacob Markstrom.
Keefe spoke to NJD.tv about how the Olympians are transitioning back to the Devils.
“The guys that have come back, they look like they haven’t missed a beat. If anything, they’ve got a little extra pep in their step,” Keefe said.
The puck will drop at 7 PM.
Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
THN.com/freeFor action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.