The new jersey devils travel to Capital One Arena tonight for the second game of a five-game road trip, dressing the same 18 skaters who beat the New York Rangers 6-3 on Wednesday; Washington will likely mirror the same skaters from a 4-1 win over Ottawa but may tinker with lines, as teams prepare for puck drop. The matchup pits a Devils squad riding a recent hot streak against a Capitals group fresh off a win; both sides enter with clear lineup plans and limited absences.
New Jersey Devils projected lines
Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Dawson Mercer
Jesper Bratt — Jack Hughes — Connor Brown
Arseny Gritsyuk — Cody Glass — Lenni Hameenaho
Paul Cotter — Nick Bjugstad — Maxim Tsyplakov
Scratched: Dennis Cholowski, Evgenii Dadonov
Injured: Stefan Noesen (knee), Zack MacEwen (ACL), Brett Pesce (lower body)
Washington Capitals projected lines and roster notes
Anthony Beauvillier — Dylan Strome — Alex Ovechkin
Aleksei Protas — Pierre-Luc Dubois — Tom Wilson
Connor McMichael — Justin Sourdif — Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime — Hendrix Lapierre — Ethen Frank
Scratched: David Kampf, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Declan Chisholm, Dylan McIlrath, Timothy Liljegren
Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said, “he will use the same skaters from a 4-1 win against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday but may change up his lines, ” and added, “Kampf’s visa issues have been resolved, but the forward remains away from the team for the birth of his second child. ” Spencer Carbery, Capitals coach, Washington Capitals, provided the roster status and lineup approach heading into the game.
Key storylines and recent form
The Devils enter with a 35-35-2 record and the Capitals with a 34-27-8 record. The Devils are on the second game of a five-game road trip after a 6-3 victory over the Rangers on Wednesday and have gone 7-2-0 in their past nine games. In that stretch the team has scored 10 power-play goals on 24 chances. Jack Hughes has been a central figure in the Devils’ surge: he has 18 points (6g-12a) in 11 games, including a hat trick and five multi-point games.
What to watch next
Expect line stability from the Devils—who will dress the same 18 skaters used in the win at the Rangers—and tactical adjustments from the Capitals, who have signaled they may reshuffle lines despite dressing the same skaters from their recent win. The new jersey devils’ power play performance over the last nine games and Jack Hughes’ hot stretch are the clearest short-term indicators of how the matchup could tilt. Watch for whether Washington switches its lines before puck drop and for how both teams manage their scratched and injured lists.
Timing notes are presented in Eastern Time (ET) context for tonight’s matchup. This preview uses roster and form details provided heading into the game and will be updated as teams confirm final scratches and any late changes prior to puck drop (ET).
