The New Jersey Devils begin a five-game road trip against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on Wednesday night. New Jersey, with an 11-4-1 record, seeks to rebound from a recent overtime loss, while Chicago aims to extend its three-game winning streak. Puck drop is set for 9:30 p.m. ET.
The New Jersey Devils (11-4-1) face the Chicago Blackhawks (8-5-3) in their first matchup of the season, marking the start of New Jersey's five-game road trip and Chicago's four-game homestand. The Devils are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Nov. 10, their first defeat at home this season. Their previous road trip ended with a 1-3-0 record, prompting head coach Sheldon Keefe to emphasize improvement away from Prudential Center. "We didn’t like the way our last road trip went," Keefe said. "It’s a five-game stand on the road. We have to play better on the road. It’s a good opportunity for us to get that right."
Chicago enters riding a three-game win streak, including a 5-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday. Forward Connor Bedard leads the Blackhawks with 25 points (9 goals, 16 assists) and is on an eight-game point streak, collecting 11 points in his last five games. Keefe acknowledged the challenge: "Lots of speed and skill. Bedard is playing on another level right now... It’s a real challenge, but their defense has taken a step too. They have lots of confidence."
New Jersey has shuffled its lines for better offensive production. Jack Hughes now centers Arseny Gritsyuk and Dawson Mercer on the top line, while Jesper Bratt joins Nico Hischier and Timo Meier on the second. "It’s been too long now that both those lines haven’t really connected offensively," Keefe explained. "I think it’s time for a different look." Bratt added, "It boosts you up to get new linemates... It’ll be good to help the team get a little spark."
Defenseman Simon Nemec is a player to watch after scoring a buzzer-beater against the Islanders, his first goal of the season, contributing to nine points in 16 games. Forward Dawson Mercer, who leads New Jersey with eight goals, stressed the road focus: "We feel being a great road team would be a huge step for us... After our last trip, we want to end on a more positive note."
Projected Lineups
Devils:
- Arseny Gritsyuk — Jack Hughes — Dawson Mercer
- Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Jesper Bratt
- Ondrej Palat — Cody Glass — Stefan Noesen
- Paul Cotter — Luke Glendening — Zack MacEwen
Defense: Jonas Siegenthaler — Simon Nemec; Brenden Dillon — Luke Hughes; Dennis Cholowski — Colton White
Goalies: Jacob Markstrom, Jake Allen
Blackhawks:
- Tyler Bertuzzi — Connor Bedard — Andre Burakovsky
- Teuvo Teravainen — Ryan Greene — Ilya Mikheyev
- Ryan Donato — Oliver Moore — Nick Foligno
- Colton Dach — Sam Lafferty
Defense: Alex Vlasic — Sam Rinzel; Matt Grzelcyk — Connor Murphy; Wyatt Kaiser — Artyom Levshunov; Louis Crevier
Goalies: Spencer Knight, Arvid Soderblom
Injuries
Devils: Dougie Hamilton (lower body), Connor Brown (upper body), Brett Pesce (hand/upper body), Johnathan Kovacevic (lower body/knee), Evgenii Dadonov (fractured hand), Marc McLaughlin (upper body)
Blackhawks: Frank Nazar (lower body), Jason Dickinson (upper body/shoulder), Laurent Brossoit (hip); Andre Burakovsky is a game-time decision (undisclosed)
The teams meet again on March 29. New Jersey's next game is against the Washington Capitals on Nov. 15.
