Game Preview: New Jersey Devils at Dallas Stars

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (22-10-7) at the Dallas Stars (22-16-3). SBN Blog: Defending Big D

The Time: 8:30 PM EST

The Broadcast: MSG

Deep Breath: Following the loss against the Blues, which may or may not have been the result of a ridiculous system, the Devils need to regroup against the Stars, who are pretty good. To do that, they need to match their skill and not have breakdowns in the defensive zone. However, Dallas is a bit top six-heavy at times. I would expect the Zajac line to be tasked with shutting down Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. As a matter of note, Benn, Seguin, as well as John Klingberg and Alexander Radulov all have between 32 and 37 points. The next highest on the team are Radek Faksa and Mattias Janmark at 20. If the top players are shut down, the Devils will have an easier time dealing with the rest of the team.

The Sitting of Severson: There may have been a fair bit of controversy among the Devils faithful over the sitting of Damon Severson in favor of Ben Lovejoy. A question for tonight will be whether or not Severson gets back in the lineup. Yesterday, in practice, the lines and pairings were the same as the Blues game - Severson the extra defenseman.

The Devils have a practice at 3:00 PM today, so John Hynes will probably address the media at some point to let people know the lineup will look like.

Other Lineup Notes: Cory Schneider will make the start for the New Jersey Devils tonight. Forwards Blake Coleman and Stefan Noesen will be making a homecoming to their home state tonight - both growing up nearby in Plano. The practice rink from yesterday in Farmers’ Branch, Texas was Blake Coleman’s home rink for midget hockey.

Angry Boyle: I’d like to make a section to honor the performance of Brian Boyle the last game versus the Stars, which the Devils won 5-2. John recapped that game, where Brian Boyle scored three points and got into it with some of the Stars players. I wonder whether any of his beef with the team will carry over into tonight. Probably not, but it you never know what words might be said, or what crosschecks will be made on the ice.

Your Thoughts: The Devils are facing a very dangerous team for the second time this year. How do you think the Devils match up against the Stars? Do you think Damon Severson will be back in the lineup tonight? Should he be? Do you want to see any other lines changes, or are the Devils settling into something they can be comfortable with? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.