New Jersey wraps up a two-game Florida road trip on Sunday night in Tampa against the Lightning.
You can watch on MSGSN or listen on the Devils Hockey Network with a puck drop at 7 p.m. ET.
Read the game preview below and come back after the team’s morning skate for your pre-game story and more!
TAMPA, Florida –
Check back after Lindy Ruff’s pre-game media availability at 5:00 p.m.
DEVILS (44-18-7) against LIGHTNING (42-22-6)
TV: 7:00 p.m. ET; Televised on MSGSN
RADIO: 6:50 p.m. ET; Live on Devils Hockey Network
Face-to-face:
The Devils and Lightning meet for the third time in six days to close their season streak. The first two games between the clubs came earlier this week when the Devils hosted the Lightning. New Jersey lost Game 1 and picked up a single point in Game 2 in a shootout loss.
Sunday marks Ondrej Palat’s first return to Tampa Bay since signing a five-year contract as a free agent with New Jersey this offseason.
Devils Team Scope:
The Devils’ last victory came a week ago against Carolina in a 3-0 win. Since then, New Jersey has faced only two opponents in three games: Tampa and Florida. In the final stretch, the Devils went 0-2-1 and split goaltending duties between Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid.
Schmid is coming off a stellar performance against the Panthers, despite the devastating third-period slump, a game where head coach Lindy Ruff said he was embarrassed by the way the team ruined Schmid’s excellent play. Schmid.
Mackenzie Blackwood has joined the Devils on their current two-game trip as they edge closer to a comeback, while Miles Wood and Nathan Bastian have remained in nursing care in New Jersey.
Lightning Team Reach:
Brendan Hagel scored a hat trick on Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens in Tampa’s 5-3 win to claim a three-game win. The Lightning are currently set to face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs, but the possibility of playing at home is still within their reach. The Lightning are three points behind the Leafs in the Atlantic Division
This weekend marked the opening of the Lightning Hall of Fame. Saturday night’s Hall of Fame opener was led by first inductee Martin St-Louis, now the Canadiens’ head coach, Vincent Lecavalier and Phil Esposito.
Brian Elliott started the Lightning’s final game, which should signal a third straight start against the Devils for Andrei Vasilevskiy.
In numbers :
Nico Hischier’s shorthanded goal against the Panthers was his third of the season. The last time a Devils skater scored more than three shorthanded goals in a single season was in 2012-13, when Ilya Kovalchuk scored four in the lockout-shortened season.
Steven Stamkos scored his 30th goal of the season on Saturday night, marking the eighth time he has scored 30+ goals in the NHL.
Nikita Kucherov became the fourth player in Lightning history with 200 multipoint games and two assists against Montreal. He joins Stamkos (281), Saint-Louis (257) and Lecavalier (212).
Injuries:
Devils
Miles Wood (undisclosed)
Nathan Bastian (upper body, daily)
Mackenzie Blackwood (lower body, IR)
Jonathan Bernier (hip, LTIR)
Lightning
None
