The New Jersey Devils face the Calgary Flames in a matchup of two of the best teams in the NHL. The Devils have an 8-3 record and with five wins in a row, they boast one of the best records in the Eastern Conference. The Flames meanwhile have a 5-4 record but are hoping to rebound from a three-game losing streak. Both teams are looking to build off strong starts to the season and the upcoming game should be a great one as a result.
The Devils are off to a strong start to the season with their offense stepping up and scoring 3.64 goals per game including 23 goals in the last five games. Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Jack Hughes have scored 14 goals and 24 assists to lead the top two lines but the entire offense has looked great. Dawson Mercer, Miles Wood, and Yegor Sharangovich have combined for 11 goals and seven assists while defensemen Dougie Hamilton and John Marino have added three goals and 10 assists from the point to overwhelm the opposing defenses.
The offense has carried the Devils but the defense has also been great, allowing only 2.55 goals per game. John Marino and Ryan Graves have combined for 2.4 defensive point shares and 23 blocked shots to lead the top two pairings while Jonas Seigenthaler and Dougie Hamilton have combined for 1.3 defensive point shares to give the Devils defense multiple reliable defensive pairings. Additionally, goaltender Vitek Vanecek has stepped up in the net with a .911 save percentage and a 2.06 goals-against average on 112 shots