New Jersey Devils vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (21-11-2) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (15-14-5).

The Time: 7:00 PM ET

The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN

Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images

Coming Back Up The Standings?

In the first few weeks of the season, the Penguins looked lost, and some wondered if this was the year they would sell off their foundational pieces in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. The Penguins, however, have found good fortune. The Rangers went into freefall just as Pittsburgh got hot, and the Penguins are now fourth in the Metropolitan Division, just six points behind the struggling Hurricanes and three points behind the Bruins for a playoff spot. A lot of big losses earlier in the season have given the Penguins a terrible goal differential (-21 coming into tonight), but they have been much better, defensively, over the past 10 games.

By NHL standards, the Penguins are an ancient team. Of their top eight point producers, seven are over 30, with only Michael Bunting, 29, sitting seventh on the team with 16 points in 33 games. But when you have multiple first-ballot Hall of Famers on your roster, as Jakub Voracek and Mike Commodore so beautifully and succinctly described the other day (note: language warning), you can get away with some odd roster construction. I think that if they get a goalie — and they should call up rookie Joel Blomqvist, who is their only goalie with a save percentage over .890 (.904) — they will make the playoffs. Will they match up well against the speed of the Devils? That’s a different story. I happened to preview Blomqvist’s draft profile a few years back, and I am not sure why he is still festering in the AHL, considering how well he played there last season.

Instead, the Penguins should be rolling Tristan Jarry tonight. Alex Nedeljkovic last played on Tuesday, December, 17 — just the second start he’s gotten this month — as Jarry only played on Thursday after playing four in a row beforehand. Jarry has an .883 save percentage and 3.62 goals against average, going with a 7-4-2 record. Talk about goal support. Jarry has been struggling for awhile, now, and he still has three more years on his contract.

The truth is that most of the Penguins are above breakeven in expected goal and possession numbers, with former Devil Ryan Graves perfectly exemplifying the situation. Graves has a 52.69 xGF%, good for 7th on the team and 5th for those who have played 25 or more games. He is just below breakeven in Corsi percentage at 49.63. How has that translated at even strength? The Penguins have given up 17 goals, scoring just 10 with him on the ice so far this season at even strength. There are only a select few Penguins who have mostly evaded the Jarry and Ned woes this season: Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rackell, Erik Karlsson, and Anthony Beauvillier are the only Penguins who have played most or all games to have a goals for percentage at 50.00 or above. Blake Lizotte, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Philip Tomasino have also played well (with the latter two just one goal behind even), though they have not played as many games. Puljujarvi, however, is fighting the same battle for respect he fought in Edmonton, and he is losing. He has not played since December 7. Meanwhile, you can thank the worst GM in the NHL for gifting Pittsburgh Tomasino.

Curtis Lazar and the Fourth Line

As Sheldon Keefe mentioned a couple days ago, Curtis Lazar is likely shut down until after Christmas. It is possible that he aggravated the knee coming back so soon, but it’s probably for the best that he doesn’t go back into full action so soon, anyway. Justin Dowling should continue to be our fourth line center for tonight, so expect the matchups to be pretty standard, with Nico Hischier taking Sidney Crosby and Jack Hughes taking Evgeni Malkin. However, I am wondering whether Tomas Tatar or Kurtis MacDermid will be in the lineup tonight. I thought Tatar was having a good game on Thursday until he got tagged for a soft hooking call (amidst far more egregious uncalled penalties), so we will see how Keefe reacts. In his career, he has 17 points in 32 games against the Penguins. On the other hand, I do not really consider the Penguins a dirty team, even if they mix it up sometimes, so I am not sure if MacDermid would add much tonight.

Stay Warm?

It is the first official day of winter today, and for most of New Jersey, there is snow on the ground. So, if you enjoy climatological normalcy, that’s a bonus. The Devils, however, are running a promotion tonight — the Down the Shore Night.

Your Thoughts

What do you think of tonight’s game? Will you be attending or watching? Are you off work until Christmas — and is this a time of year you like to attend games? Who do you think will respond best from Thursday’s disappointment? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading?