:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49124493/GettyImages-499349730.0.jpg)
The Time: 5:00 PM EST
The Broadcast: TV - MSG+; Radio - 660 AM & 101.9 FM WFAN
The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (34-31-7) vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets (29-34-8; SBN Blog: The Cannon)
The Last Devils Game: These two teams met last night and the Devils walked away with another frustrating loss to the Blue Jackets. The Devils now have a 0-4-0 record against the Blue Jackets this season incase you were wondering. The Devils fell behind early in the 1st period after Cam Atkinson and Seth Jones gave Columbus a 2 goal lead. Boone Jenner would extend that lead to 3 goals in the 2nd period before New Jersey would answer back with the next 3 goals in the game, 2 from Kyle Palmieri and one from Adam Henrique wich was set up by Palmieri. Unfortunately the the Devils would completely unravel over the course of the next few minutes, allowing Oliver Bjorkstrand to score twice and William Karlsson once. Keith Kinkaid had another poor outing, making 16 saves on 19 shots in 22:50 before being removed. Yann Danis made 12 saves on 15 shots in 36:46 to finish the game. Here is John's full recap of last night's debacle.
The Goal: In yesterday's preview, John wrote that the goal was to defend. Well the Devils obviously didn't do that well last night, whether it was blowing coverage, not clearing the front of the net, or the goaltenders not stepping up. So let's see if they can do better in tonight's game. Hopefully they'll be able to keep things simple, communicate, and make the safe plays to limit the Blue Jackets chances and suppress shots. It would also help if whichever goaltender plays tonight makes the saves that a NHL goaltender should make.
Changes for the Devils?: Whether it was the overall lack of team performance last night or the guys that got banged up last night (John Moore, Mike Sislo) it's possible we may see some line up changes. It's not known if David Schlemko will be healthy enough to play tomorrow so perhaps David Warsofsky will draw back into the line up. Brian O'Neill is also available up front.
Likely Goaltending Matchup: Coach Hynes said the goaltending decision will happen later today. Keith Kinkaid has struggled over his last 3 starts, getting pulled twice and stopping just 62 of 75 shots (.826 SV%). While he's had a few good games for the Devils this season, overall his .899 SV% and shaky play lately won't inspire any confidence in Devils fans. Nor will Yann Danis whose had an up and down year in the AHL and hasn't been effective in limited NHL action this year. Columbus will have the option of starting Sergei Bobrovsky (.908 SV%) again or going with the 21 year old Joonas Korpisalo (.918 SV%).
Your Take: Which goaltender do you think the Devils will start tonight? What are you hoping for out of this team? Do you think they will bounce back after last night's loss? Leave your comments below and thank you for reading!