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Game Preview: Nashville Predators at New Jersey Devils cover image

The New Jersey Devils (27-24-2) take on the Nashville Predators (24-23-5) at the Prudential Center tonight. 

Lineups and Injuries

Devils projected lineup per NHL.com

Evgenii Dadonov -- Jack Hughes -- Jesper Bratt

Arseny Gritsyuk -- Nico Hischier -- Maxim Tsyplakov

Timo Meier -- Dawson Mercer -- Lenni Hameenaho

Paul Cotter -- Luke Glendening -- Conner Brown

Jonas Siegenthaler -- Johnathan Kovacevic

Brett Pesce -- Dougie Hamilton

Brenden Dillon -- Simon Nemec

Jacob Markstrom

Jake Allen

Scratched: Juho Lammikko, Colton White

Injured: Luke Hughes (shoulder), Zack MacEwen (ACL), Stefan Noesen (knee), Cody Glass (lower body)

Predators projected lineup per NHL.com 

Filip Forsberg -- Ryan O’Reilly -- Luke Evangelista

Michael Bunting -- Erik Haula -- Steven Stamkos

Ozzy Wiesblatt -- Michael McCarron -- Matthew Wood

Cole Smith -- Jonathan Marchessault

Brady Skjei -- Roman Josi

Adam Wilsby -- Nick Perbix

Nick Blankenburg -- Justin Barron

Andreas Englund

Juuse Saros

Justus Annunen

Scratched: Tyson Jost

Injured: Nicolas Hague (lower body)

Player to Watch:

​Maxim Tsyplakov is the player to watch as he makes his debut with the New Jersey Devils tonight.

At 27, he previously spent two seasons with the New York Islanders. On Tuesday, the Devils acquired him in exchange for Ondrej Palat, a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and the club’s sixth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, both going to the Islanders.​

Tsyplakov shared his thoughts about his first game with the Devils.

​“I hope we can play (well) together,” Tsyplakov said. “A lot of guys (on the team) are super skilled. I hope we can play (well).”

​Storyline to Watch: ​

The storyline to watch is the countdown to the Olympics. The Devils trail the Wild Card spot by nine points and are five points behind the last spot in the Division. ​In this context, the team has 4 games left before the league pauses for the Winter Olympics.

​This game is important for the team heading into the break if they want to make the playoffs. ​

Puck drops at 7 PM. 

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