New Jersey has an all-time record of 4-5-1 versus Vegas.
The New Jersey Devils will host the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night at Prudential Center. This is their first matchup of the season. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. The team held a 10:30 A.M. morning skate.
Head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed veteran defenseman Colin Miller is sick and will not be available for tonight's game. Santeri Hatakka will draw into the lineup after being recalled from the American Hockey League on Jan. 18. He will be paired with Cal Foote, who he previously played with in Utica.
"We played a lot together this year," Hatakka said. "We know each other pretty well on and off the ice. I think it helps when we have that experience together."
Devils vs. Golden Knights - Prudential Center
The Devils have earned a 1-0-1 record against the Golden Knights last season. Erik Haula, who played 91 games for Vegas, has four points in six games against tonight's opponent.
The Golden Knights are second in the Pacific Division (27-14-5). They are coming off a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Brendan Brisson scored his first NHL goal, which was the game-winner. Ivan Barbashev collected two points, and goaltender Logan Thompson made 23 saves on 25 shots.
- New Jersey's injury list includes Dougie Hamilton (out indefinitely), Tomas Nosek (out indefinitely), Jonas Siegenthaler (broken foot), Ondrej Palat (lower body), Jack Hughes (upper body), Brendan Smith (sprained knee), and Colin Miller (illness).
- Vegas' injury list includes Michael Amadio (upper body), Tobias Bjornfot (undisclosed), William Carrier (upper body), Jack Eichel (lower body), Adin Hill (lower body), Ben Hutton (upper body) William Karlsson (lower body), Jiri Patera (undisclosed), and Shea Theodore (upper body)
- Nico Hischier enters tonight's game on a three-game point streak (one goal, two assists).
- This season, New Jersey has earned a 7-9-1 record against Western Conference teams.
- Vegas has collected at least one point in all five trips to the Prudential Center, never dropping a game in regulation.
- Per the media notes, Thompson has been victorious in five of his last six outings and has allowed two or fewer goals in four of his last five contests. In his previous six starts, Thompson's .944 SV% and 1.67 GAA each rank third in the NHL among goaltenders who have made at least five appearances since Jan. 6.
- Vegas is third in the NHL with 388 takeaways through 46 games played.
Projected Lineup
New Jersey:
Timo Meier - Nico Hischier - Jesper Bratt
Tyler Toffoli - Michael McLeod - Dawson Mercer
Curtis Lazar - Erik Haula - Nathan Bastian
Max Willman - Chris Tierney - Alexander Holtz
Kevin Bahl - Simon Nemec
Luke Hughes - John Marino
Santeri Hatakka - Cal Foote
Vitek Vanecek/Nico Daws
Vegas:
Ivan Barbashev - Nicolas Roy - Jonathan Marchessault
Pavel Dorofeyev - Chandler Stephenson - Mark Stone
Brendan Brisson - Brett Howden - Paul Cotter
Jonas Rondbjerg - Byron Froese - Keegan Kolesar
Alec Martinez - Alex Pietrangelo
Nicolas Hague - Zach Whitecloud
Brayden McNabb - Kaedan Korczak
Logan Thompson/Isaiah Saville
Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be broadcast on MSGSN. Bill Spaulding will handle play-by-play alongside analyst Ken Daneyko and host Erika Wachter. Fans can also listen on the Devils Hockey Network with Matt Loughlin on play-by-play.
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