Sliding Ducks Walk Into a Devils Barn That Bites Back
Anaheim carries a four-game skid and a road-friendly record into Newark, where New Jersey has been at its best this fall.
Written before the game
The New Jersey Devils have spent nine games tilting the ice, and the scoreboard has barely noticed. Over that stretch they average 3.8 expected goals for (a measure of how many goals their chances were worth) against 2.9 allowed, yet their actual goal differential sits at just minus one. That gap says the bounces have not gone New Jersey's way, and a team creating that much should start cashing in.
The shot attempts tell the same story: the Devils average 74 a night while giving up about 51. Anaheim runs the other direction, attempting about 56 and allowing nearly 62, with 3.54 expected goals against per game outweighing what they generate.
The Ducks arrive on a four-game losing streak, though they are 3-2-0 on the road. New Jersey is 4-2-0 at home and coming off a win.
Stakes are real on both sides: the Devils (10 points) hold the fourth wild-card spot in the East, while the Ducks (8 points) sit 12th in the West and need to stop the bleeding.