Devils Open 3-Game Road Swing in Tampa | PREVIEW

New Jersey starts a three-game road trip with a contest in Tampa Bay against the Lightning. Puck drop is 7:08 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

TAMPA, Fla. - The Devils held a morning skate at Amalie Arena prior to facing the Tampa Bay Lightning. All the expected players were participants.

The team used the following workflow…

Haula – Hischier – Mercer
Toffoli – McLeod – Bratt
Willman – Lazar – Holtz
Tierney – Bowers – Bastian

Smith – Nemec
Hughes – Marino
Bahl – Miller

Vanecek in the stater’s crease.

Power of Bowers

For forward Shane Bowers, he’ll be making his NHL debut tonight. Sort of.

Bowers played his first career NHL game last season as a member of the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 10, 2022. However, after just two minutes of ice time he suffered an injury and could not finish the game. After he was healthy, Bowers was sent back to the American Hockey League.

So, tonight won’t really be his NHL debut. But he’s hoping he gets to make an actual game out of it this time around.

“That wasn’t the way I wanted my first one to go,” Bowers said. “But even having that short period makes it a little more comfortable.”

“Just a little less jitters, knowing you’ve had a couple shifts before,” Bowers continued. “That helps a little bit. Having that little bit of experience makes it a little less nerve wracking.” 

Bowers, 24, has six goals and seven points in 29 games in Utica of the AHL this year. He was asked about his particular style of play.

“My speed, I can bring a lot of speed and energy into a lineup,” Bowers said. “With my skating I can get in on the forecheck.”

Back to D

With the loss of defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, swingman Brendan Smith returns to his natural position on the blue line. He worked alongside Simon Nemec.

“For myself, it’s a lot of communication. (Nemec) has done a fantastic job,” Smith said. “My objective is to go out and play good defense, make good outlet passes and get the puck in his hands offensively because he has a lot of skill up front.”The Devils coaching staff put a lot of thought into the pairings and lines, but won’t hesitate to change if need be.

“We just feel that those pairs will give us the best that we can get,” Ruff said. “You can always change. If somebody struggles, we can always flip the pieces around.”

PREVIEW

DEVILS (21-15-2) vs. LIGHTNING (20-17-5)

Head-to-Head

The Devils and Lightning meet for the first time this season in a crucial battle for playoff positioning. The Lightning currently hold the second and final Wild Card position with 45 points in the standings, one ahead of the Devils’ 44. New Jersey may be on the outside right now (third spot), but it has four games in hand on Tampa and can make an important headway in Thursday’s contest.

Last year, both teams finished with a 1-1-1 mark against each other with the road team winning every game. The Bolts won both games in New Jersey, 4-1 on March 14 and 4-3 in a shootout March 16. The Devils won the lone meeting in Florida, 5-2, on March 19.

Timo Meier (2g-2a) and Nico Hischier (1g-3a) led the Devils in scoring during the season series with four points each. Jesper Bratt (3g), Damon Severson (1g-2a) and Dougie Hamilton (3a) each had three points.

Steven Stamkos paced the Bolts on four points (2g-2a). Nikita Kucherov, Brandon Hagel, Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak all had three points each.

Devils Team Scope:

The Devils are a team under siege with injuries at the moment. The club is currently without forwards Jack Hughes (upper-body), Timo Meier (mid-body), Ondrej Palat (lower-body), Tomas Nosek (lower-body) and defensemen Dougie Hamilton (torn pec) and Jonas Siegenthaler (broken foot).

As such, the Devils have been forced reach deep into its depth chart. Simon Nemec has played considerable minutes in Hamilton’s absence. His role will likely grow even more with Siegenthaler being out. Same for Luke Hughes and John Marino. New Jersey has recalled defenseman Cal Foote and forward Shane Bowers.

Despite being out, Jack Hughes still leads the Devils in scoring with 45 points on 15 goals and 30 assists. He’s followed by Jesper Bratt’s 44 points (14g-30a). Tyler Toffoli paces the team in goals at 16. Rookie Luke Hughes leads the blueliners with seven goals and 23 points.

Lightning Team Scope:

The Lightning may hold the final Wild Card spot, but it’s been a rocky post-Holiday stretch for the team. The Bolts are 3-4, including a 5-1 loss to NY Rangers and 7-3 setback to Boston. But Tampa is coming off a 3-2 overtime victory against the LA Kings in which the Bolts scored late in the third period to tie the game.

Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning in goals (28), assists (39) and points (67). He’s followed by Brayden Point’s 42 points (19g-23a). Defenseman Victor Hedmen leads the defense with 33 assists and 39 points. Captain Steven Stamkos has 38 points in 39 games.

By the Numbers:

New Jersey defensemen have combined for seven power-play goals this season, which ranks (tied, EDM) first in the NHL, per Jan. 10.

Tampa head coach John Cooper won his 500^th career game behind the bench in a 3-2 overtime win against Los Angeles Tuesday night.

Injuries:

Devils

Hamilton (pectoral muscle - IR)
Nosek (foot - IR)
Palat (lower-body)
Meier (mid-body)
J.Hughes (upper-body)
Siegenthaler (broken foot - IR)

Lightning

Cernak (upper-body)
Fleury (upper-body)
Sergachev (upper-body)