The Devils open a three-game set against the Pittsburgh Penguins as they look to build off Tuesday’s home win over the Sabres.
You can watch the game on MSG+ or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.
Video: PRACTICE REPORT | The Rookies
Read the game preview below and check back after Morning Skate for our Pre-Game Story including videos, updates and more.
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DEVILS (9-12-4) vs PENGUINS (18-10-1)
TV: MSG+ at 7 PM ET
Head-to-Head:
The Devils and Penguins will meet for the first time this season. The two teams will face off in three consecutive contests with the first two games taking place at Prudential Center, Thursday and Saturday, and the finale at Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena, Sunday.
The last time the two teams met was on March 10, 2020 – a 5-2 Pittsburgh victory at Prudential Center – in what turned out to be the final regular-season contest of the 2019-20 season for both teams.
Devils assistant coach Mark Recchi will face his former team for the first time. Recchi served as an assistant coach in Pittsburgh from 2017-20 and development coach from 2014-17, where he earned two Stanley Cup rings in that span.
Devils Team Scope:
The Devils snapped their four-game winless streak with a 3-2 victory against Buffalo Tuesday night.
One major bright spot recently has been the re-emergence of goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, who stopped 59 of 64 shots against (.922) in his last two outings. He made several point-blank stops in the waning seconds of the Devils’ win on Tuesday against the Sabres.
Forward Miles Wood continues to light the lamp at an extraordinary pace. He posted his team-leading ninth goal of the season against Buffalo. It was also his team-best third power-play goal of the year.
After going eight straight games without a power-play goal, the Devils now have scored man-advantage tallies in back-to-back games.
Penguins Team Scope:
The Penguins’ six-game winning streak was snapped Tuesday in a 2-1 loss to Boston. But worse, the team lost center Evgeni Malkin – who was riding an eight-game point streak, with a lower-body injury. His status for the contest is unknown.
After a rocky start to the season, the Penguins have found their footing recently by winning eight of their last 10 contests. A key factor in the turnaround has been the play of goaltender Tristan Jarry, who has a 9-2 record with a 2.26 goals-against average and .928 save percentage since Feb. 18.
Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins in scoring with 29 points (11G-18A) while his 11 goals are tied for the team lead with Jake Guentzel.
By the Numbers:
New Jersey’s trio of Janne Kuokkanen, Travis Zajac and Yegor Sharangovich have combined for 16 points (6G-10A) in the past five games. Kuokkanen has a career-long five-game scoring streak with four goals and six points. Zajac has six assists and Sharangovich added three goals and four points) over that span.
In 142 games that Sidney Crosby has played in his career without fellow center Evgeni Malkin, he has amassed 173 points (61G-112A).
Injury Update:
Devils: Hischier (frontal sinus fracture).
Penguins: Blueger (lower-body), Zucker (lower-body), Friedman (upper-body), McCann (upper-body), Malkin (lower-body), Marino (upper-body).