The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (3-1-1) vs the Washington Capitals (1-3-0; SBN Japersrink
The Time: 7:00 PM EST
The Broadcast: MSG+
Double Whammer: On the 25th, the Devils had a split-squad double header, and it was definitely a tale of two cities. Against the Senators, the Devils fielded their A-squad, and promptly won 8-1. Against the Islanders, the B-squad got shut-out 3-0. For the Senators game, Quenneville, Stafford, and Zacha scored twice, with Hischier and Johansson providing the other goals. Against the Islanders, the Devils were shut-out, and outshot 45-25. Keith Kinkaid had a wonderful game in making sure the Islanders score didn’t become too ridiculous.
Capital Defeat: The Capitals lost to the Hurricanes 4-1 on the 23rd. Justin Williams, Trevor Carrick, Julien Gauthier, and Justin Faulk scored for the Hurricanes, while Alex Chiasson scored for the Capitals. The game featured a good performance from Chiasson, who is fighting for a spot on this Capitals team.
The Devils Line-up: As of now, no news is released as to what lineup the Devils will reveal. Same for the Capitals. However, I expect it to feature many Devils players fighting for a roster spot.
What to Watch For: It’ll be interesting to see how players such as Steven Santini, Blake Coleman and Nick Lappin play under pressure. Santini was a regular for the Devils last year, and impressed with his defensive play. However, his situation is not as stable this year, and he will need to further develop to solidify a spot on this Devils defense.
Jesper Bratt seems likely to have made the team, and Jimmy Hayes seems to have earned a contract with the Devils. It remains to be seen if this is actually true, but it’s just my suspicion.
The Goal: Simply put, don’t injure yourselves. The worst possible situation is an injury which changes the dynamic of a team, and causes a team to struggle. While, it is important to play hard, it’s also important to realize this is only a pre-season game, and doesn’t really matter in the end.
So..: What are your thoughts on the game? Who would you like to make the team? I’ll update this post as more information is revealed. Anyway, take care, and have a good day!