Today’s NHL Prediction features the season’s second matchup between the New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche. These two teams met for the first time in Colorado on November 7, where the Devils fell 6-3. Tonight’s matchup marks the Devils first game back from the All-Star break.
The Devils (24-20-3) are coming into tonight on a two-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Avalanche (32-14-3) are red hot, having won their last three games and seven of their last 10. With just 35 games remaining it’s crunch time for the Devils. They sit five points out of a Metropolitan Division spot and seven out of a Wild Card spot. If the Devils want to turn their season around it starts by beating a really good Avalanche team tonight.
NHL Predictions: New Jersey vs. Colorado
Three Keys to Victory for New Jersey
Return of the Zach
A familiar face (and foe) returns to The Rock tonight. Former Devils captain Zach Parise will make his Avalanche and season debut. Parise, who joined the Avalanche a few weeks ago, was mulling retirement before attempting one last Cup run this season. Since leaving the Devils back in 2012, Parise has scored 11 points in 18 games against his former club. Last season with the New York Islanders he managed to find offence despite being 38 at the time. He scored 21 goals and had one of his better shooting seasons at 11.5%. The Devils have an innate ability to get scored on by former players (ie Yegor Sharangovich and Miles Wood earlier in the season). With him presumably playing a bottom-six role, he likely won’t be playing the best competition given the Devils lack of depth.
Centre Depth
Now that some of the dust has settled on the Canadian World Juniors sexual assault incident, the team can move forward knowing that Michael McLeod will no longer be on the team. As if their centre depth wasn’t tested enough, this throws a whole new wrench into things. Jack Hughes has returned to practice in a non-contact jersey, but in the meantime, they’re spread thin. Nico Hischier continues to anchor the top line, but the rest of the centre depth has changed. Dawson Mercer, Erik Haula and Curtis Lazar now man the rest of the centre spots despite playing on the wing for the majority of the season. Also, it remains to be seen if Tomas Nosek, who recently returned to practice, will enter the lineup. Either way, with Hughes and McLeod out, the forward core continues to be stretched thin, which against Nathan MacKinnon and company, spells disaster.
Young Bucks On The Backend
It remains to be seen, but maybe the All-Star break came at a great time for the Devils. One reason why is it allowed the team’s two young defensive studs, Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes, to take some time off and refocus for the back half of the season. Rookies all inevitably hit a wall, and Hughes and Nemec smacked face-first into it. Through the first half of the year, Hughes has been exceptional, however. He’s scored eight goals and 26 points, while also averaging 20:40 TOI and the second-most minutes total (971). Meanwhile, Nemec’s workload has been equally as taxing. His offensive numbers aren’t as good (just two goals and 13 points in 26 games), but he’s averaging a whopping 20:46 TOI. The Devils are heavily leaning on a 19 and 20-year-old to lead from the backend, but over recent weeks they’ve looked gassed.
Prediction Time
Despite a few key players close to returning from injury, the Devils will still be undermanned against a contending Avalanche team. One caveat has been that the Devils have come out and played with desperation before and have gotten results. However, desperation only takes you so far when the team opposite you is so talented. Maybe the Devils can make it a dogfight and snatch a point, but the Avalanche are top to bottom too talented.
Prediction: Avalanche Win 5-3
Main Photo: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
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