Devils Face Ducks in SoCal | PREVIEW

New Jersey continues its three-game West Coast swing with a stop in Anaheim to face the Ducks. Puck drop is at 10:08 p.m. ET. 

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

Read below for your game preview and pre-game story below.

PRE-GAME STORY

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Devils held a morning skate at Honda Center in Anaheim ahead of facing the Ducks this evening.

Defenseman Brendan Smith, who missed practice on Thursday, was on the ice for the team.

“It looks like he’ll be good to go,” head coach Lindy Ruff said. “We may dress an extra guy for warmup just in case, but I think he’s going to be good.”

The Devils used the following workflow…

Meier – Hischier – Bratt
Palat – Hughes – Lazar
Toffoli – Haula – Mercer
Nosek – Tierney – Holtz
Halonen

Bahl – Marino
Hughes – Smith
Siegenthaler – Nemec
Miller – DeSimone

Daws in the starter’s net.

Jack’s Flank

The Devils appear to be using the same line combinations from their 7-2 victory at San Jose Tuesday night. That means that Jack Hughes will once again be flanked by Ondrej Palat and Curtis Lazar.

Hughes continued a goal and three points with that line during the win against the Sharks.

“When you have Palat and Lazar you have two heavier bodies, you have two guys that can get to the net,” Ruff said. “With Jack’s ability to hang on (to the puck) and roll in the offensive zone, you put more physical guys there, there’s better opportunities. I like the opportunities they created inside the game. Jack had two breakaways. I thought his offensive numbers started to go up. A one-game look, it looked good.”

Counter Strength

The Anaheim Ducks are a heavy team. They play a strong and physical brand of hockey. For New Jersey, the goal isn’t to win the physical battle but to win with speed.

“We want to play to our strengths: speed. Making sure we’re backchecking hard, forechecking and keeping the puck,” forward Dawson Mercer said. “And when we have to we need to find a way to win those battles. Maybe you’re not stronger, but you can get on their sticks, get inside position. Using all those little details will help us out at the end of the day.”

PREVIEW

DEVILS (30-25-4) vs. DUCKS (21-35-3)

Head-to-Head

The Devils and Ducks meet for the second and final time this season, and the only time in California. The clubs met on Dec. 17, with Anaheim scoring a 5-1 win.

Former Devil Adam Henrique scored a hat trick in the contest while Alex Killorn posted three points (1g-2a).

Devils Team Scope:

The Devils are on the second leg of their three-game West Coast swing. The team started 1-0 with a demonstrative 7-2 victory at San Jose Tuesday night.

New Jersey is fighting to get back into the playoff picture. Currently the team is five points behind Philadelphia for the third spot in the Metro Division.

The Devils are led by Jesper Bratt who has 61 points on the season. He’s followed by Jack Hughes’ 55 points, though Hughes missed 16 games this season due to injury. Hughes is coming off a three-point performance (1g-2a) at San Jose. Captain Nico Hischier had four points against the Sharks and has goals He has six goals in his last eight games and reached the 20-goal mark for the fourth time in his career. Forward Tyler Toffoli leads the team with 25 goals on the year.

Goaltender Nico Daws has started eight of the last nine games for the Devils, including a stretch of seven straight.

Ducks Team Scope:

The Anaheim Ducks are in the midst of a rebuild. The franchise currently has the third-lowest point totals in the NHL this season, ahead of only San Jose and Chicago. The team has gone 3-5-1 since the All-Star break.

There are a lot of good futures pieces in place, such as Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson, drafted ninth, third and second overall in their respective drafts. All-Star Frank Vatrano leads the team with 27 goals and 46 points. Troy Terry, a former 37-goal scorer, is next with 17 goals and 45 points.

By the Numbers:

Hischier tied a career high with for points against San Jose (1g-3a). He previously posted four points against Pittsburgh on Feb. 18, 2023.

Hischier’s third assist against San Jose was his 200^th career helper.

Jack Hughes has 10 three-point games this season. That ties Aaron Broten (1987-88) and John MacLean (1988-89) for second in club history behind Kirk Muller’s 11 (1987-88).

Injuries:

Devils

Vanecek (lower-body, IR)
Bastian (lower-body, IR)
Hamilton (torn pectoral, LTIR)

Ducks

McGinn (upper-body)
Terry (upper-body)
Zegras (broken ankle)