Devils Return Home, Host Kings | PREVIEW

New Jersey host the Los Angeles Kings at Prudential Center. Game time is 7:00 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

NEWARK, NJ - The Devils held a morning skate Thursday prior to hosting the Los Angeles Kings.

Forward Ondrej Palat was ill and did not skate. Goaltender Vitek Vanecek was also absent from the skate with a lower-body issue. Defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler skated with his teammates in a full-contact jersey for the first time since suffering a broken foot.

Palat will be a game-time decision.

“If he’s feeling better, he’ll play. If not, he won’t be in the lineup,” head coach Lindy Ruff said.

Vanecek is out and likely out for Saturday’s Stadium Series game.

Goalie Nico Daws worked the starter’s crease and looks like he’ll make his third straight start for the Devils. He’s won his previous two appearances.

“His bounce back has been good,” Ruff said of Daws. “The time off he worked hard and was ready when he went back in.”

Team Workflow…

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

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

Daws in the starter’s crease.

Scouting the Kings

The Devils host the Los Angeles Kings this evening. The club is coming off an embarrassing 7-0 loss at Buffalo.

“We know we’re going to have a team that’s going to have some anger in their game,” Ruff said. “We know they had a hard practice yesterday. We have to focus on our game but be well aware that we’ll up against a team that’s going to be hungry.

“They’re a heavy team. They’re a hard team to play against. They’ve had their struggles. If we can get on top of them, we’d like to capitalize on some of the opportunities if we can create some with speed.”

Defenseman Brendan Smith knows that teams like Los Angeles are most dangerous after suffering a tough loss.

“When a team gets beat like that, they bring their best foot forward. We have to prepared right off the bat,” Smith said. “You can’t win a game in the first 10 minutes, but you can definitely lose it. So we have to have a good start.”

Commitment to D

The Devils have won their past two games and are 3-1-1 in their past five contests coming out of the All-Star break. The team has overhauled its defensive zone system and the commitment to that process has gotten them results.

“Our D zone has been part of it. We’ve been all dialed into the system more,” Jesper Bratt said. “We’ve limited the other team’s Grade A chances. It started in Carolina. We played a good defensive game. We all bought in. We’ve been skating well. We’ve been tracking well, limited their chances and got more to our offensive game.”

Big Week

The Devils have an important game Saturday night in the Stadium Series against Philadelphia. Both clubs are in direct contention for a playoff spot. However, the Devils cannot overlook the Kings.

“We’ve built some energy with the way we’ve been playing and we really have to continue,” Ruff said. “Just focus on tonight’s game.”

“Obviously there’s a lot of excitement with the outdoor game, but you can’t overlook these games,” Smith said. “We’ve done a good job of staying in the moment and understanding our competition. Who we’re playing against. These points are so ciritcal.”

“We have a huge game tonight leading into the Stadium Series,” Bratt said. “A couple must-win games coming up. It’s a big week. And it starts with tonight.”

PREVIEW

DEVILS (27-21-4) vs. KINGS (24-16-10)

Head-to-Head

This is the first of two meetings this season between the Kings and Devils. The second will be during New Jersey's California trip on Mar. 3.

Last season the Devils won both of their matchups against the Kings. In the first game, New Jersey picked up a 5-2 victory in Los Angeles on Jan. 14. Then on Feb. 23 New Jersey rallied to win in overtime, 4-3.

Devils Team Scope:

The Devils have found their groove since returning from the All-Star break with points in three straight games and two straight wins. They’ve gone 3-1-1 with more healthy bodies back in the lineup, changes to the defensive system, and improved play all-around. After struggling in the second half of back-to-back games, the Devils’ 4-2 win in Nashville was a huge momentum builder.

Tyler Toffoli leads the Devils with 22 goals and he has 35 total points through 51 games played. Jesper Bratt has the most assists (36) and points (56) on New Jersey's roster. Jack Hughes is second in points (48) and assists (31). He’s third in goals at 17, despite only playing 36 games.

With Vitek Vanecek dealing with illness and a lower-body issue, the Devils turned to Nico Daws in back-to-back contests with Akira Schmid backing up after being recalled from the Utica Comets. Daws has a 3.02 goals against average and a .906 save percentage. Vanecek has played the majority of the games and he has a 17-9-3 record. He’s averaging 3.18 goals against and a .890 save percentage.

The Devils remain a top team when it comes to faceoffs winning, on average, 54% of draws. New Jersey's power-play is ranked 10th in the NHL (23.7) and it's heating up after going through a rough patch.

This is the first of two straight “home” games for the Devils who host the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday night in a 2024 Stadium Series game at MetLife Stadium.

Kings Team Scope:

The Kings are coming off a 7-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, in only their second game back from their bye week. The loss snapped a two-game win streak for the Kings as well. Los Angeles has won only three of their last 10 games, and through that span, the Kings have been outscored 35-22.

Trevor Moore leads the Kings with 21 goals and he has 36 total points which is fifth most on the team. Kevin Fiala’s 30 assists are a team-high and he has the second most points with 43. Adrian Kempe leads L.A. with 44 points and his 17 goals are second-most on the Kings.

The Kings have relied on Cam Talbot for the majority of their games this season, with David Rittich also in the goaltender rotation. Pheonix Copley is out the remainder of the season after getting ACL surgery last month. Talbot currently has a 14-13-5 record with a 2.63 goals against average and a .909 save percentage. Rittich has a 6-2-3 record with a 2.22 goals against average and a .919 save percentage.

Los Angeles has the best penalty kill in the NHL, stopping opponents from scoring on the man-advantage 87.2% of the time. They’re also a top team at limiting goals against, averaging 2.68 goals against/game played which is sixth lowest in the league.

Thursday’s game between the Devils and Kings is the second in a four-game East Coast Swing that wraps up in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

By the Numbers:

The Devils have scored the majority of their goals in the third period this year, and their 69 tallies are third-most in the league. With that many goals late in the game, it's no surprise the Devils are tied for the most comeback wins this season with 18.

Anze Kopitar has the 10th highest faceoff win rate in the NHL, winning 56.4% of the draws he takes. This is almost six-percent higher than the team average for LA.

Injuries:

Devils

Jonas Siegenthaler - broken foot, IR
Vitek Vanecek - lower-body/illness
Dougie Hamilton - torn pectoral, LTIR

Kings

Carl Grundstrom - lower-body, IR
Viktor Arvidsson - back, IR
Blake Lizotte - lower-body, IR
Pheonix Copley - knee, LTIR

--Catherine Bogard, NJD.tv