The New Jersey Devils will face the San Jose Sharks tonight in Newark as they look to extend their winning streak to seven games.
The Devils enter the matchup with a 6-1-0 record, while the Sharks sit at 1-4-2.
San Jose is coming off its first win of the season, a thrilling 6-5 overtime victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday. Macklin Celebrini led the way with a hat trick, while fellow young forward Will Smith added two goals and two assists.
While the matchup may appear lopsided on paper, the Sharks’ young talent can’t be overlooked.
Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe spoke with the media, including The Hockey News’ Kristy Flannery, about Celebrini’s performance.
“He’s a great, young player—and I hate to say ‘young player’ because he’s just a great player,” Keefe said. “It was a big night for him last night. He’s well-rounded, strong on the puck, can score in different ways, and is very good in possession. Lots of good things about him.”
The Sharks’ youthful duo of Celebrini and Will Smith has been a bright spot early in the season. Smith now has five points through seven games. Despite San Jose’s record, the team’s offensive spark could threaten the Devils’ win streak.
The Sharks continue their four-game road trip with tonight’s matchup, their second game in two days. The Devils, meanwhile, are in the midst of a three-game homestand.
Injuries
Devils starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom was on the ice with the team this morning, but Keefe told reporters that Markstrom isn’t ready to return to game play yet. Backup Jake Allen will get the start in goal, with Nico Daws serving as the backup.
Forward Cody Glass will also sit out today's game after suffering an upper-body injury.
“He’s going to miss some time,” Keefe said. “We’re not quite sure the exact period, but it’s not a day-to-day situation. We’re hoping it’s no more than a couple of weeks, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Full Injury Report:
Devils:
- Glass (upper body), week-to-week
- Dadonov (hand), month-to-month
- Kovacevic (knee), month-to-month
- McLaughlin (undisclosed)
- Lammikko (lower body)
- MacEwen (upper body), week-to-week
- Markstrom (lower body), week-to-week
Sharks:
- Klingberg (lower body), day-to-day
- Mukhamadullin (upper body), IR
- Ellis (undisclosed), IR
- Couture (groin), IR
Projected Lineups
Devils:
Palat – Hughes – Bratt
Meier – Hischier – Gritsyuk
Cotter – Mercer – Brown
Noesen – Glendening – Halonen
Hughes – Pesce
Siegenthaler – Hamilton
Dillon – Nemec
Allen, Daws
Sharks:
Toffoli – Celebrini – Smith
Skinner – Wennberg – Eklund
Graf – Kurashev – Gaudette
Goodrow – Dellandrea – Reaves
Ferraro – Iorio
Orlov – Liljegren
Dickinson – Desharnais
Askarov, Nedeljkovic
The two teams will meet again in six days [October 30th] when the series shifts to San Jose.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET in Newark, as the Devils aim to push their winning streak to seven and the Sharks look to earn their second win of the season.
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