The New Jersey Devils (20-17-2) take on the New York Islanders (23-15-4) at the UBS Arena tonight.
Lineups and Injuries
Devils' projected lineup per NHL.com.
Jack Hughes -- Nico Hischier -- Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier -- Dawson Mercer -- Arseny Gritsyuk
Ondrej Palat -- Cody Glass -- Connor Brown
Juho Lammikko -- Luke Glendening -- Stefan Noesen
Jonas Siegenthaler -- Dougie Hamilton
Luke Hughes -- Brett Pesce
Brenden Dillon -- Colton White
Jacob Markstrom
Jake Allen
Scratched: Dennis Cholowski, Paul Cotter
Injured: Zack MacEwen (lower body), Jonathan Kovacevic (knee), Evgenii Dadonov (wrist), Simon Nemec (lower body)
Islanders projected lineup per NHL.com
Anders Lee -- Mathew Barzal – Emil Heineman
Jonathan Drouin -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Simon Holmstrom
Maxim Shabanov -- Calum Ritchie -- Marc Gatcomb
Kyle MacLean -- Casey Cizikas -- Anthony Duclair
Matthew Schaefer -- Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech -- Tony DeAngelo
Cole McWard -- Scott Mayfield
Scratched: Maxim Tsyplakov, Adam Boqvist
Injured: Bo Horvat (lower body), Kyle Palmieri (ACL), Alexander Romanov (upper body), Semyon Varlamov (knee)
Player to Watch:
The player to watch is not a player, but a zone. The Devils have been focusing on their work in the neutral zone ahead of this game. The team has struggled in the neutral zone this season, specifically against the Islanders.
Forward Jesper Bratt told NJD.tv that improving their neutral zone play will be a priority.
“We have to be tight through the neutral zone,” forward Jesper Bratt said. “Don't let their skill guys skate through the neutral zone too easily on us. Come back and stop in the D zone. That’s something new talked about.”
Defender Brett Pesce emphasized this point as well.
“The way we handle the neutral zone will be huge tonight, and not giving pucks back to them for free,” defenseman Brett Pesce said. “Getting pucks in when the time is right and simplifying.”
Storyline to Watch:
The teams meet for the third time this season. The Islanders won the previous two meetings. The Devils are 11-10-0 on the road.The Islanders are without Bo Horvat, who is having a career-best season.
The puck will drop at 7:30 PM.
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