Game Preview #14: Montreal Canadiens @ New Jersey Devils

On Sunday, the Devils finished up their 4 game road trip with a 4-1 loss to Anaheim. The Ducks scored early in the first period and added a second goal before the period was over. By the end of the 2nd period, the Ducks were up 3-0. Jack Hughes added his 10th goal of the season in the 3rd period to make it 3-1, continuing his red hot, please don’t get hurt streak to start the season. Anaheim added an empty net goal late in the period to close out the game with a 4-1 victory. Currently, Jack sits at 10G-6A-16 points after 13 games.

Not wanting to be left out, Dawson Mercer added an assist on Jack’s goal, giving him his 6th point in his last 4 games, to continue his red hot start to the season, currently sitting at 8G-6A-14 points after 13 games. Feel free to read the recap above of the last game, but outside of Jack and Dawson adding to their point totals, there really isn’t much more positive information to add here from that game.

The Canadiens lost in the shootout on Tuesday night to the Philadelphia Flyers, by a score of 5-4. Montreal let up 3 goals in the 1st period in just around 6 minutes, ending the period down 3-0. Not wanting to be the only team not getting in on the fun, Montreal scored 4 goals in the 2nd period, in less than 13 minutes, ending the period up 4-3. The Flyers tied the game up about halfway through the 3rd period, before beating the Canadiens in the NHL equivalent of ending a game in a home run derby or slam dunk contest winning in the shootout, by a final score of 5-4.

It’s early in the season and a lot can change over the next few months, but so far, the Canadiens are tied for 2nd place. Not 2nd in their division. 2nd overall, in the whole league. One interesting note is that in only 13 games this season, almost half of them (6 games) have been decided in OT. Their last 3 games in a row ended up needing extra time (2 consecutive OT wins and a SO loss). One could argue that the best strategy would be to put the Canadiens away early tonight, but as their last game showed, even a 3-0 lead is not safe. It also showed the team can score a lot of goals in a short amount of time. Their record also shows the team is absolutely lethal at 3 v 3 OT, winning 5 games so far in OT. Long story short, the Devils can not take this team lightly. They must come out ready to play AND play for a full 60 minutes.

On the goalie side of the roster, there has been no official statement on who will start tonight, however the safe assumption would be that Markstrom starts tonight, since Allen started the last game. Connor Brown practiced yesterday on the 3rd line with Meier and Mercer which is encouraging. Per Amanda Stein though, his return tonight is not 100% guaranteed yet.

In more interesting news, Seamus Casey has been sent to Utica and the Devils recalled Colton White. I don’t know if he will play tonight, but it’s a possibility at some point and something to keep an eye on.

Finally, Cody Glass practiced yesterday with the team in a non contact jersey. While he will not play tonight, it does appear that he will be back sooner, rather than later.

Grimace is predicting a win tonight. I think he most likely, just feels bad since I’m bringing the entire family tonight and he would like them to see a win. He’s had a rough go of it lately with 2 consecutive incorrect predictions so, like the Devils, I’m really hoping to see him get back in the win column tonight.

Grimace’s 2025-2026 Season Prediction record currently stands at 5-2-0.

The Devils finished their 4 game road trip with 1 win in 4 games, and only taking 2 out of a possible 8 points which is obviously not ideal. However, with a 9-4 record after 13 games, it’s hard to be unhappy at this point. My general feeling is, they aren’t as amazing as they seemed during their 8 game win streak, and they aren’t as bad as some people might think they are in losing 3 of their last 4. The game tonight is the 1st of a 3 game home stand. After that, they head back out for a 5 game road trip. Banking a few wins in a row before another extended trip would be just what the doctor ordered for the team (and fans) to start feeling good again. Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below and thanks for reading!