New Jersey Devils Need At Least Three Points From Weekend Series
New Jersey Devils enter a weekend home and home with the New York Islanders this Saturday and Sunday. This will be the first two meetings for these Metropolitan Division rivals this year.
The New Jersey Devils skate into their home-and-home series this weekend against the New York Islanders looking for four big points. Saturday, the Devils will man home ice against a division rival that they haven’t seen in quite some time.
The two teams haven’t seen each other in almost a full calendar year. This weekend they’ll see plenty of each other.
Islanders are coming off a very impressive win against the dreaded New York Rangers, as the Devils are coming off a very tough loss at the hands of the Senators. With the Islanders one point out of a playoff spot there’s valuable points on the table. New Jersey is trying to avoid dropping further in the standings so anything less than three points could warm the fat ladies vocal cords up for their season.
New Jersey needs to play desperate hockey this weekend. This is a team in need of points. There is no better way to gain ground in a playoff race than getting points against teams ahead of you. Sitting four points behind the Islanders, this weekend is a huge opportunity to gain ground.
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This easily the biggest weekend series to date for the Devils this year. Four points would be huge as they would jump the Islanders, and if everything else goes the team’s way, they’d be sitting on the edge of the playoffs. Easy to say this weekend is huge for New Jersey.
This matchup will be personal for Devils forward P.A. Parenteau. He was waived by the Islanders before the season so he will see his former team for the first time this year.
New Jersey will turn to Cory Schneider for the eight consecutive time Saturday. Schneider has had an up-and-down season, but he has turned it on as of late and this team needs him to be close to perfect. Keith Kinkaid is waiting to get in the cage. The Long Island native would love to get into the game Sunday.
New Jersey has been rocky at home this season, they are 2-2 on this recent home stand. The team has a lot of home games coming up, with 14 of their final 25 goals at the Prudential Center.
Their opponents are buzzing as of late under their new head coach Doug Weight. Coming off a huge win Thursday night, the Islanders are going to be hungry to build off that.
The two best players on their respective teams will play vital parts in this weekend series. Taylor Hall leads the Devils with thirty-seven points (13 goals, 24 assists). He is huge for the Devils offense if he is going well the team will have a shot at winning. John Tavares leads the Islanders in points with forty-eight (20 goals,28 assists). Tavares is easily one of the leagues top producers so shutting him down will be key for the Devils if they want to win these games.
My Prediction For The Weekend
Saturday- Devils 3 Islanders 2
Sunday- Islanders 4 Devils 3 F/OT
Thanks for reading and remember Lets Go Devils!