The New Jersey Devils finally unveiled what they will be doing with Connor Hellebuyck heading into their upcoming home-and-home series.
Per Amanda Stein at the Devils team site, “Connor Hellebuyck is confirmed to start both tonight and Saturday’s rematch in Washington.”
This explains why general manager Sunny Mehta held Hellebuyck out of the lineup in his homecoming against the Winnipeg Jets. Still, New Jersey lost that game, so Hellebuyck must play some of his best hockey on Thursday and Saturday to justify Mehta’s decision.
Momentum, though, is on Hellebuyck’s side. He is 5-0-0 in a Devils uniform, with a .913 save percentage, a 1.96 GAA, a shutout, and a .600 quality starts percentage. Given his late start to the season, fans may not have seen the best version of Hellebuyck.
That said, if New Jersey wants to maximize its chances of taking both games against Washington, the skaters also must bring their A-Game. That didn’t happen against Winnipeg, so Thursday is a night of redemption.
New Jersey Devils Projected Lines And Pairings vs. Capitals
Per Stein, “Vladislav Kolyachonok is coming up from Utica and will play.” That adds yet another ripple to New Jersey’s most recent lineup changes, which included Stefan Noesen and Lenni Hameenaho getting called up.
That said, Noesen is projected to line up alongside Evan Rodrigues and Connor Brown on the third line. Ironically, Noesen last appeared in a game for the Devils on Oct. 17 in a 4-2 loss to Washington.
Hameenaho looks like he will line up at right wing on the fourth line, with Cody Glass centering the line and Jesper Boqvist lining up at left wing. Boqvist has five goals in 17 games, with a solid 22.7 shooting percentage.
The top six continues to look familiar. Arseny Gritsyuk, Jack Hughes, and Jesper Bratt are projected for the first line. All three players pace the Devils in points, with Hughes in the lead with 26. Bratt has 19, and Gritsyuk clocks in with 14.
Nico Hischier is projected to center the second line with Timo Meier and Luke Evangelista. Hischier has been dynamic on the faceoff dot, with 209 wins so far.
With Johnathan Kovacevic sitting out this one, Kolyachonok is likely lining up on the third pairing with Brenden Dillon. This will be Kolyachonok’s first regular-season appearance with the Devils.
With Brett Pesce also out, Jonas Siegenthaler should get the nod to line up alongside Luke Hughes on the first pairing. Siegenthaler has averaged 19:38 of total ice time this season. That number could increase on Thursday night.
That leaves Declan Chisholm and Dougie Hamilton on the projected middle pairing. Chisholm has logged 14:10 of average ice time. He, too, may see a bump with injuries and illnesses sidelining some of New Jersey’s full-time blueliners.
New Jersey Cannot Afford Another Slip-Up
No position is safe in the Metropolitan Division. While the Devils won’t lose their second-place spot should they lose on Thursday, there are two problems. One, with Carolina running away in its first Global Series game against the Kraken, two more points are going to the Hurricanes.
With 23 points, the New York Rangers are heating up again. The Capitals are also not too far behind, with 20 points. That said, the Hellebuyck plan has got to work, and the Devils would ideally take both Thursday’s and Saturday’s matchups.
Coverage is slated to begin at 7:00 EST, with puck drop not long after. This will be a test for Hellebuyck and the Devils.
Devils Reveal Significant Connor Hellebuyck Plan Ahead of Capitals Series