THE SCOOP
The Devils enter Thursday’s game coming off a 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. New Jersey felt Carolina’s pressure throughout the game but had big saves by Jacob Markstrom to keep things within reach. Jack Hughes had the game's opening goal at the start of the second period, and Nico HIschier’s 5-on-3 goal in the third helped New Jersey get within one before an empty net goal sealed the win for the Hurricanes.
Paul Cotter’s four goals lead New Jersey, and his five points are tied for third on the team. Stefan Noesen and Jesper Bratt are tied for the team lead with six points each. Bratt’s five assists make him the leader in that scoring category. New Jersey have Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen as their goaltenders this season. Markstrom played against the Hurricanes and had 27 saves on 30 shots. He made many big saves, especially in the first, to keep New Jersey within reach.
Thursday is the second and final game of this two-game road trip before the Devils head home for a two-game homestand.
The Senators enter Thursday’s game with a 2-1-0 record with wins over the Florida Panthers (Oct. 10, W 3-1) and Los Angeles Kings (Oct. 14, OTW 8-7). In their most recent game, a high-scoring affair against the Kings, Josh Norris’ overtime winner helped the Senators get the full two points. Norris had two goals and an assist in the win. Zack MacEwen also had two goals, while Claude Giroux, Thomas Chabot, Drake Batherson, and Jake Sanderson each had a goal. Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle each had three assists. The Senators had 41 shots on goal in the win and scored on four of their six power plays. On the flip side, the Kings scored on three of their five power plays.
Ottawa’s Tim Stützle leads the team with three goals and six points. Captain Brady Tkachuk’s five assists are a team high, and Tkachuk’s five points are second on the team. The Senators have three goaltenders in rotation at the moment; however, Linus Ullmark is the primary net minder for Ottawa. Through two games played he has one win and one loss. He’s averaging 2.58 goals against a game and has a .914 save percentage. Ullmark's status for Thursday's game is unknown at the moment as he is day-to-day with a strain.
WHO’S HOT
Devils: Jack Hughes picked up his first goal of the year, opening the scoring against the Hurricanes. He also had an assist on Hischier’s power play goal in the third period for his second multi-point night this season. Hughes is riding a two-game points streak after he assisted on Hischier’s power play goal Monday afternoon.
Senators: Tim Stützle is riding a three-game points streak to start the season, while two of those games were multi-point efforts. In his most recent game, Stützle had three assists, including on the overtime game winner. This is Stützle’s fifth season in the NHL, all with the Senators.
INJURIES
Devils: L.Hughes (shoulder), Pesce (ankle), Hatakka (upper-body), Vilen (upper-body), Beckman (lower-body)
Senators: Ullmark (strain), Zub (upper-body), Highmore (upper-body), Greig (upper-body)
REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS
- Oct. 17 at Ottawa
- Jan. 19 vs Ottawa
- Mar. 22 vs Ottawa
