The New Jersey Devils were selected to be one of the teams that play on Thanksgiving as they are in Canada to play the Montreal Canadiens.
The New Jersey Devils have a rare United States Thanksgiving game. They play the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Center on Turkey Day and there are some interesting things to look at. They defeated Montreal in overtime a few weeks ago and they are going to be looking to win here. Montreal was destroyed by the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night at home by a final score of 8-1. They allowed the Bruins to chase Carey Price out of the net and he was replaced by Keith Kinkaid.
It is going to be interesting to see which one of those two the Canadiens elect to go with. They have a back to back set of games on Saturday and Sunday so there is a good chance that they go back to Price against the Devils and then use them both over the weekend. The Devils will almost certainly use MacKenzie Blackwood in this game. Louis Domingue was fine in Tuesday nights loss to the Minnesota Wild but that was his second start in a row.
Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes might be the key to the Devils defeating Montreal in this one. They aren’t as strong down the middle of the ice as the Devils are so they need to pounce on that face. These two each had an assist in their last game so hopefully, they can bring some more of that. Hischier has been an even more impactful player since he was added to the top power-play unit as a net-front presence. He has two power-play assists in those three games in that role.
The Devils are in a bad way all around. Dead last in the Metropolitan Division is not at all where they wanted to be on Thanksgiving. Everybody knows how important being in a playoff position on this day is to their chances at actually making it so this isn’t ideal. That doesn’t mean that they can’t go on a run but they need to get to work fast. This season is slipping away and changes need to be made. A lot of people want John Hynes to be relieved of his duties but he could save his job if he just changed their style of play. They are not playing a system that matches their personal and it is very apparent on the ice.
Hopefully, you are able to watch this game with your family after enjoying a hardy Thanksgiving meal. The Devils may or may not play to their capabilities, but at least you will have your team to watch on the family day. From our table to yours, Happy Thanksgiving.