The New Jersey Devils face the Nashville Predators with both teams heading in opposite directions this season. The Devils have a 31-12-4 record and with back-to-back wins have jumped to the top of the Metropolitan Division. The Predators have a 23-18-6 record but have won their last two games to improve in the Central Division. Both teams look to improve in their divisions and the upcoming game should be a good one as a result.
The Devils are having a great season with their offense leading the way, scoring 3.47 goals per game including 32 goals in the last eight games. Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Nico Hischier have scored 69 goals and 85 assists to lead the top two lines but the entire offense has been great. Dawson Mercer, Miles Wood, and Yegor Sharangovich have combined for 30 goals and 46 assists while defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Ryan Graves have added 18 goals and 40 assists from the point to open up the offense.
The offense has been great but the defense has also stepped up, allowing only 2.60 goals per game including only three goals in the last two games. Ryan Graves and Jonas Seigenthaler have combined for 7.2 defensive point shares and 168 blocked shots while Dougie Hamilton, Damon Severson, and Brendan Smith have combined for 6.5 defensive point shares to add depth to the unit. In addition, goaltender Vitek Vanecek has stepped up with a .916 save percentage and a 2.30 goals-against average on 776 shots.