The New Jersey Devils opened their 2023-24 campaign with a big win over the Detroit Red Wings before dropping one in a shootout to the Arizona Coyotes. Four days ago, they lost 4-3 to the Florida Panthers to complete their early-season homestand.
Tonight they go on the road for the first time this season to face the New York Islanders. Their projected lines tonight in their road-opener include:
Forwards
- Tyler Toffoli - Jack Hughes - Timo Meier
- Ondrej Palat - Nico Hischier - Jesper Bratt
- Dawson Mercer - Michael McCleod - Alexander Holtz
- Chris Tierney - Curtis Lazar - Nathan Bastian
Defense
- Jonas Siegenthaler - Dougie Hamilton
- Kevin Bahl - John Marino
- Brendan Smith - Luke Hughes
Source: Game Preview: Islanders Dance With Devils to Finish First Homestand by Stefen Rosner and Matthew Page, The Hockey Writers
New Jersey Devils set to face-off against the Islanders tonight
Jack Hughes leads all forwards with six points, two goals, and four assists over the first three games while Jesper Bratt paces the Devils with three goals. Hughes also leads the forward group in average total ice time, having logged 22:28 so far this season.
With two goals and two assists, Dougie Hamilton paces the blueliners with four points. He's also leading the group in average ice time, having logged 22:29 so far in three contests. Jonas Siegenthaler is next in line with three assists and 20:44 of ice time.
Vitek Vanecek is the projected starting goaltender tonight, and it will mark his third start for the season. So far, Vanecek is 1-1 on the year, with a 0.892 save percentage, a 3.62 GAA, and a 0.500 quality starts percentage.
After tonight's contest, the Devils will have another three days off before they head to Montreal to face an upstart Canadiens team. They will close out the month with a three-game homestand against the Washington Capitals, the Buffalo Sabres, and the Minnesota Wild before they start a four-game road trip to kick off November.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)