New Jersey Devils: Close Out Decade Against Boston Bruins

The New Jersey Devils close out a largely underwhelming decade with a big game against the Boston Bruins. They look to go into the new one on a winning streak.

The New Jersey Devils have a really tough test ahead of them as they try to end the decade on a winning streak. Despite starting off promising, it hasn’t been the best decade for this franchise.  The Boston Bruins are one of the very best teams in the National Hockey League right now and they will be looking to keep the Devils at bay. They already handled their business against the Devils earlier in the season, but there is reason to believe Jersey’s Team will be better in this game.

First, the Bruins have some injuries right now that weaken their team. Brad Marchand took a maintenance day in practice, but he is likely to play. He will be on his normal line with Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak. That is called the perfection line for a reason. They have a Selke-level center with two of the best wingers in the league. That line needs the Devils’ full attention if they want to win the game.

The other players who missed practice are David Krejci, Torey Krug, Charlie McAvoy, and Connor Clifton. Krejci’s role as the second-line center will be replaced by Charlie Coyle. McAvoy, Clifton, and Krug are three of the six defensemen that would have played for Boston so that is definitely a break for the Devils. What makes the Bruins so good however is their depth. Even without them they still have Zdeno Chara, Brandon Carlo, and Matt Grzelcyk to make life difficult for the Devils.

It came out yesterday the Kyle Palmieri will be the Devils representative at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game. He will try to lead the Devils once again in this game against the Bruins. Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes led the way in their last game so hopefully, that trio of players can lead the way once more against the Bruins. They are going to need a team effort in order to beat a team as elite as the Bruins but they can do it if they work together and stay out of the box. Boston’s power play is elite so they can’t take penalties.

Sami Vatanen and Nikita Gusev have both been wizards on the power play as well as at even strength so playing well is important for them as well. This is a team that is 3-2-1 since trading Taylor Hall to the Arizona Coyotes. They have sort of come together since then and have proven that there is young developing talent there to their disposal. Hopefully, they are able to end the 2010s on a high note.