Devils Face Blues to Wrap Road Back-to-Back | PREVIEW

New Jersey takes on the Blues at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO.

You can watch on MSGSN or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

Read below for your game preview and check back two hours before game time for your pre-game story.

PRE-GAME STORY

The Devils did not hold a morning skate due to play the Blues on the second half of back-to-back games. New Jersey defeated Minnesota, 5-3, Thursday night.

Head coach Lindy Ruff spoke with the media prior to the game. Here are some highlights…

Smart Start

With the Devils playing on consecutive nights, fatigue is always a factor. So, the team will have to play smart so they don’t put themselves in a position where they’re chasing the game and tiring themselves out.

“We have to make sure on a back-to-back game that we play a tight game and don’t offer up the easy opportunities,” Ruff said. “Puck management is a big deal in back-to-back. Making sure you’re playing a 200-foot game, making sure pucks get out, making sure pucks get in at the blue line. Make them go back below the goal line to break pucks out. If we get three-quarter ice and fuel their offense we spend too much time coming back into our end.”

Scouting Report

Ruff on the Blues: “We know they’ve got skill up front. They’ve got a couple of big defenseman. They have a defense that joins on the rush.”

Cool Hand Luke

Defenseman Luke Hughes is riding a career-long four-game point/assist streak. He has six helpers over that span.

Points aside, he’s also seen his ice time increased. He’s logged over 22 minutes in three of the past four games, thanks to more even strength time.

“I think inside of games there are ups and downs, as there is with every defenseman. I think his overall 5-on-5 play continues to get better. That’s why you see his ice time go up. He’s a guy that is an easy guy to play 5-on-5 because he gets up on the rush and helps us to create. But to allow thtat his play in his own zone has gotten better.”

Trio Eval

Ruff was asked about the Dawson Mercer, Erik Haula, Curtis Lazar trio. His response: “That line is a line that I look to be strong defensively. Probably has to be a little bit better in that area. I think as a whole it gave us what we needed.”

--Sam Kasan, Devils Beat Reporter

PREVIEW

DEVILS (6-2-1) vs. BLUES (3-4-1)

Head-to-Head

Friday is the first of two meetings between the Blues and the Devils this season. They’ll meet again at Prudential Center on Mar. 7.

Last season, the Devils lost both games to the Blues: a 5-3 loss at home on Jan. 5 and a 4-2 loss in St. Louis on Feb. 16.

Devils Team Scope:

The Devils enter Friday night's game on a three-game win streak after beating the Minnesota Wild, 5-3, on Thursday night. New Jersey had a strong start against Minnesota and withstood a third-period push by the home team to pick up the road win. One of the key's to the Devils victory was their power play which continues to dominate, scoring on three of five opportunities. Alexander Holtz, Michael McLeod, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, and Dougie Hamilton all scored in the win with the final three Devils goals coming during the man-advantage.

Currently the Devils are leading the NHL in several categories. The power-play is first in the league, scoring 44.7% of the time, while New Jersey is averaging the most goals for per game with 4.22. The Devils are also a top-10 faceoff team with Michael McLeod as the sixth-best faceoff player in the NHL. New Jersey's offense is clicking with 10 players scoring a goal or more in the team's first nine games, and 15 players having at least a point.

Jack Hughes continues to lead the Devils, and the NHL, in points with 20. He had two assists Thursday night helping him cross the 20-point threshold in only nine games. Tyler Toffoli and Jesper Bratt are tied for the most goals on the Devils with seven, while Hughes is New Jersey's assists leader with 15 helpers.

Vitek Vanecek started his third-straight game against the Wild, picking up yet another win. He has a 5-2-0 record, is averaging 3.21 goals against a game, and has a .893 save percentage. With Vanecek playing against Minnesota, Akira Schmid is likely to start against the Blues. He has a 1-0-1 record with a .863 save percentage and he's averaging 4.07 goals against.

Blues Team Scope:

The Blues have had an up-and-down start to their season, winning one then dropping the next. However, on the most recent four-game road trip, St. Louis struggled as they went 1-3-0 with their first two consecutive losses this season. Friday night’s game marks the start of a four game homestand and the start of a back-to-back that concludes Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens.

St. Louis is still looking for more offensive output as they’re averaging 1.75 goals for a game, but conceding 2.88 goals against on average. When it comes to the power play, the Blues have scored only one power play goal on 25 opportunities, another area they’re focused on improving. On the flip side of special teams, the Blues penalty kill is in the middle of the pack, stopping opponents from scoring on 78.3% of their power play opportunities. St. Louis’ penalty kill is 15th best in the league.

Brandon Saad and Robert Thomas currently lead the Blues with two goals each. Thomas is St. Louis’ leader for assists with four and points with six. 12 of the Blues skaters have a goal through their first eight games. In net, starting goaltender Jordan Binnington has played six games and holds a 2-3-1 record. He’s averaging 2.61 goals against a contest and has a .916 save percentage.

By the Numbers:

It’s been 631 days since the Devils have picked up a win at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. In New Jersey’s most recent road win against the Blues, the Devils had a five-goal third period to bounce back from a 3-2 deficit and win. Captain Nico Hischier had two of those goals with Jesper Boqvist, Jimmy Vesey, and Yegor Sharangovich scoring the other three.

Jesper Bratt recorded his first career four-point night against the Wild on Thursday. He had a power play goal and three assists in the Devils victory. Bratt has the second most points in the NHL with 18, only behind his teammate, Jack Hughes.

Speaking of Hughes, he continues to shine in his quick start to the 2023-24 season. Currently he leads the NHL with 20 points through only nine games played.

Injuries:

Devils

Nico Hischier (upper-body, day-to-day)
Tomas Nosek (lower-body, IR)
Colin Miller (lower-body, IR)

Blues

Anton Malmstrom (undisclosed)
Josh Jacobs (undisclosed)

--Catherine Bogart, NJD.tv