Game Preview: Sharks at Devils

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (6-1-0) vs. San Jose Sharks (2-3-0 SBN; Fear the Fin)

The Time: 7:00 PM EST

The Broadcast: TV - MSG+

Winners Yet Again: The Devils are — wait for it — one of the best teams in the NHL at the moment, and boy does it feel good. After starting off the season winning three in a row before falling to the Capitals, the Devils have now won three in a row yet again. Nico Hischier got his first two career NHL goals, while Taylor Hall recorded four assists. The Senators got Schneider pulled early, but Kinkaid came in and sturdied the ship, and the Devils rebounded from 4-2 down, putting 46 (!) shots on Craig Anderson, and giving the Devils a 5-4 OT win. Every Devil aside from Jesper Bratt recorded a shot on goal, and the team outplayed the Senators as a whole. Due to Schneider starting the game, one could assume Kinkaid will start the game against the Sharks, but we’ll confirm this again the next day.

Shark Attack: Although the Sharks haven’t started the season off particularly well, with a 2-3-0 record, they played an overall solid game against the Canadiens. The Sharks beat the Canadiens 5-2, with Logan Couture scoring two goals, and Hertl, Pavelski and Thornton scoring the other goals. This game occurred on the 17th, meaning the Sharks are going off 3 days of rest. It’s unknown which Sharks goalie will start as of now, although Aaron Dell has been doing particularly well in the two games he played for the Sharks. Offensively, the Sharks are 22nd in the league, whilst they’ve allowed the 20th most goals in the league.

Penalty Kill Woes: One weakness the Devils have is their penalty kill, which currently ranks 24th in the league. Then, in the Senators game, they let in two more power play goals. If anything, that’s the one part in their game they could improve in.

Who To Start?: While Coach Hynes stated that the two goalies would split starts, Keith Kinkaid played the second half of the Senators game, so it may not be that simple anymore. If his word holds true, then Kinkaid will start. It’ll be interesting to see what happens.

So... Let me know what you think? Who should start? Score predictions? Thank you, and have a good day.