The New Jersey Devils face the Boston Bruins on Saturday, Dec. 6, at TD Garden, hoping to snap a four-game losing streak that includes back-to-back shutouts. Boston aims to build on a recent 5-2 home win over the St. Louis Blues. Both teams enter with 16 wins, but New Jersey's offense has gone 128 minutes without a goal.
The New Jersey Devils are set to play the second game of a back-to-back against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday, Dec. 6. New Jersey lost 3-0 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday and 3-0 to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, extending their skid to four games. The Devils have not scored in six periods, with their last goal coming from Timo Meier's power-play tally against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Their season record stands at 16-11-1, with a home mark of 9-4-1 and away of 7-7-0.
Boston, coming off a 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, Dec. 4, holds a 16-13-0 record. The Bruins will start Jeremy Swayman in net, who has an 11-7-0 record, 2.80 GAA, and .910 SV% through recent games. Coach Marco Sturm noted the Devils' skill and speed, saying, "They’ve got a very, very dangerous first line with a lot of skill that can score."
For New Jersey, Jesper Bratt leads with 26 points (5 goals, 21 assists), while Meier, Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer, and injured Jack Hughes are tied for the team lead with 10 goals each. Goalies Jake Allen (8-5-0, 2.48 GAA, .911 SV%) and Jacob Markstrom (7-6-1, 3.51 GAA, .876 SV%) have split duties. Boston's Pavel Zacha has 20 points (7 goals, 13 assists), and Viktor Arvidsson notched his 400th career point against St. Louis.
Projected Devils lines include Meier-Hischier-Brat and Palat-Mercer-Gritsyuk. Bruins feature Steeves-Lindholm-Geekie and Mittelstadt-Zacha-Arvidsson. Injuries sideline Hughes and David Pastrnak for their respective teams. New Jersey looks to rebound before facing Ottawa on Dec. 9.
