The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (36-32-2) at the Nashville Predators (34-28-9)<\/p>\n
The Time: 8:00 PM EDT<\/p>\n
The Broadcast: TV \u2014 MSGSN2; Radio \u2014 Devils Hockey Network<\/p>\n
Shutting the Predators Down<\/p>\n
While the Nashville Predators are not in as dire a state as they were in the first half of the season, they are still a very top-heavy team. Ryan O\u2019Reilly, Filip Forsberg, and Steven Stamkos have led the way in scoring, while Luke Evangelista has turned into a great playmaker up front. Aside from future Hall of Fame defenseman Roman Josi, who has 48 points in 59 games, things fall off a progressively steep cliff after Evangelista. Erik Haula is the fifth-leading forward scorer on the Predators with 32 points, though Jonathan Marchessault (28 points in 52 games) and Matthew Wood (16 goals in 60 games) can occasionally be productive for their team when in the lineup.<\/p>\n
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Those top three Predators are a real trio to watch, though. Forsberg has the lowest shooting percentage of them of 15.0%, while Stamkos sits at 20.6%. But hey, the Devils had no use for that kind of skill. If the Devils hold the Predators\u2019 top six to one or two goals, it should be a very winnable game for them. I would expect Jacob Markstrom to face them tonight after Jake Allen took the win against Dallas, and he will have to be very careful about his positioning whenever Stamkos is on the ice.<\/p>\n
Gritsyuk\u2019s Status<\/p>\n
Arseny Gritsyuk left Tuesday\u2019s game against Dallas early with an undisclosed injury. While Sheldon Keefe opined that he did not believe it to be a serious injury, he did say that Gritsyuk would require imaging and evaluation<\/a> to determine his status. The Devils should know by now whether he is playing or not, but they would likely have to turn to Evgenii Dadonov for his spot in the lineup.<\/p>\n For those of you keeping track at home, Dadonov has played 18 games this season. Per the bonus clauses in his contract, <\/a>Dadonov receives a $250,000 bonus once he plays his 20th game of the season, which would be tacked onto next year\u2019s cap hit, reducing the amount of cap space the Devils have in 2026-27. While it\u2019s unfortunate to hold Dadonov out of the lineup, he really has not contributed anything on offense when he\u2019s been on the ice. I would hope that this is not his final NHL season, but it is unlikely that he gets enough ice time to prove that he can still hang around in the league.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Keeping It Rolling<\/p>\n