The New Jersey Devils return to the arena that saw them lose the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals in tonight’s matchup with the Los Angeles Kings.
Tale of the Tape
Record: 4-3-1 (9 points, 8th in Metro)
The Opponent: Los Angeles Kings (4-5-1)
Puckdrop: 10:30 PM ET
Venue: Staples Center
Expected Goaltenders: Mackenzie Blackwood (0-0-0) vs. Cal Petersen (2-2-0)
Television Broadcasts: ESPN+, Hulu
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings are on a three-game winning streak and are coming off a 3-2 shootout victory in their last outing against the St. Louis Blues.
27-year-old goaltender Cal Petersen is expected to get the start in tonight’s contest. Peterson has struggled in his four appearances this season posting a 3.28 GAA and a .895 save percentage. Petersen is expected to be the goaltender of present and future for Los Angeles and is in the first year of a three-year contract he signed in September.
Tonight’s game will be the 7th time that the Kings will be without all-star defenseman Drew Doughty. Doughty suffered a knee injury in the club’s October 22 game against the Dallas Stars and is expected to be out eight weeks.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils are looking to bounce back coming off a pathetic performance against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. After a solid first ten minutes, the team, seemingly, forgot how to play hockey losing the game 4-0.
The Devils suffered another injury last game as defenseman Dougie Hamilton’s status is in question for tonight’s contest. Hamilton suffered a lower-body injury against Anaheim and, while head coach Lindy Ruff originally said Hamilton would not play, participated in the team’s morning skate today.
New Jersey also has two debuts tonight as goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood is expected to make his season debut and forward Alex Holtz will make his NHL debut. Blackwood has worked his way back from offseason heel surgery and will be expected to start tonight after Jonathan Bernier allowed four goals on 27 shots against Anaheim.
Player to Watch: Alex Holtz
How could the player to watch not be the 2020 first-round pick in his first NHL action? Holtz, who was called up by the club on Thursday, will bring his above average shooting ability to a team that is missing a sharpshooter. While Holtz isn’t expected to continue his AHL-level pace, five goals in four games, he is expected to shoot the puck when given the opportunity.
His addition to the power play adds a weapon that they are currently missing and should provide the unit a much-needed spark.
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