The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (39-34-2) versus the Montreal Canadiens (44-21-10)
The Time: 7:00 PM EDT
The Broadcast: TV — MSG, NHLN; Radio — Devils Hockey Network
Halonen and McLaughlin Recalled
This morning, the New Jersey Devils announced that they recalled Brian Halonen and Marc McLaughlin from the Utica Comets. This will allow them to remove Evgenii Dadonov from the lineup. Not only was Dadonov on track to make another quarter-million dollars that would have been tacked onto next year’s cap hit as a bonus overage, Dadonov has been, by far, the least effective player on the ice in the few games he’s played for a team. Since March 1, Dadonov has had a shockingly low 26.35 expected goals percentage, which about half the average put up by the rest of the team.
This season, Halonen has a goal in nine games for the Devils, as well as 19 goals and 13 assists in 48 games for the Comets. I would hope that he displaces Dadonov from the lineup, though I would have liked to see him get a chance on the third line. Now that Bjugstad has been promoted there, I doubt Halonen will get many minutes to show what he can do. McLaughlin, on the other hand, can play center and has six goals and seven assists in 21 games for Utica this season. I imagine he might come in for Maxim Tsyplakov if the Devils want to try both Comets out at the same time, or he might alternate with Halonen in Dadonov’s spot. Playing McLaughlin would allow Cotter to move back to wing.
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End of the Line
The New Jersey Devils are winding their season down at this point. They are not mathematically eliminated, so it would still be good to go out and play their best hockey until the E is actually next to them in the standings. But this is it. For those playing for a contract extension, or to prove they should still be on the team next season, this is a time that will stick with people still watching the club play hockey. The Devils will have to downsize their defense, whether they bring in young guys in Anton Silayev or Seamus Casey or not. They will have to ask themselves if they want the same forward group in its entirety next season.
But for fans, the long wait is about to begin, too. Make sure you make the most of the remaining hockey to be played, even if the season has largely been hard to watch. Because, unless an absolute miracle happens over the next couple of weeks, the New Jersey Devils are going to have a five-month vacation. It won’t be long until I am waiting for the return of Devils hockey.
Can We Get Good Goaltending?
On the note of players who should be trying to justify their continual presence on the team, I would like to see better games from the goaltenders the rest of the way. Jacob Markstrom is back down to an .883 save percentage, and Jake Allen has slipped a bit to a .905 percentage. That’s a pretty good number for Allen, but it was better earlier in the season. Markstrom had almost climbed back to near league average, too, until a recent string of games dragged him down. In his last six games, the Devils are 3-3-0 with his .852 save percentage. He had a .916 save percentage in the eight games before that.
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Personally, though, I think they should have called Nico Daws and Jakub Malek up at points this season to give them NHL games. If one of them can play in the big leagues next season, there is really no point for the team to bang its heads against the wall trying to make Markstrom’s extension work. There is only so long I can have patience for a guy who dips to having an .852 save percentage for extended stretches.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of tonight’s game? Will the Devils come out firing? Or will it be a slow game? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.
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