Devils at Flames
The surprising New Jersey Devils look to finish their first extended road trip of the season with a winning record when they visit the Calgary Flames on Sunday. The Devils got an outstanding performance from Cory Schneider en route to a 2-0 win at Vancouver that opened the trek before suffering their first road loss of the campaign on Friday - a 6-3 setback at Edmonton.
“Our record (9-3-0), we’ve got to be proud of that and take confidence in that,” New Jersey left wing Taylor Hall told reporters. “At the same time, we were 9-3-3 last year and finished in 27th place (overall in the NHL). We’ve got a lot to learn and a lot to improve on. If you look at the last two games, we were outshot, outplayed. We’ve got to figure it out quickly and get healthy at the same time.” The Devils are without Kyle Palmieri (foot) while fellow forward Marcus Johansson (concussion) is not expected to play against the Flames, who have won their last two contests. Calgary has not scored more than two goals in seven straight games, but stellar play from Mike Smith helped earn them three victories in that stretch. Johnny Gaudreau recorded a point in 10 of his first 13 games for the Flames and has recorded a team-high 16 overall, including an assist in the 2-1 overtime win over Pittsburgh on Thursday.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New Jersey), Sportsnet 360 (Calgary)
ABOUT THE DEVILS (9-3-0): Hall has risen to the top of the scoring list for New Jersey with 16 points after posting three goals and four assists in his last four contests while Brian Gibbons has scored a team-high six goals. Rookie Jesper Bratt is warming up as well with two goals and three assists in his last four games to reach 11 points, putting him third on the team behind Hall and rookie defenseman Will Butcher (12). Johansson (five points in 10 games) sat out Friday after suffering the injury two days earlier in Vancouver while Palmieri, who has notched seven points in as many games, did not make the trip.
ABOUT THE FLAMES (7-6-0): Smith, who owns a 7-5-0 record and .936 save percentage, played in 12 of Calgary’s first 13 games and has won three of his last four after a brilliant performance against the Penguins on Thursday. “That was one of the best goalie performances I’ve seen in a long time,” coach Glen Gulutzan told reporters. “It gives you confidence going into any building. … When you know you have a goalie like that, and you’re sitting on the bench playing, there is a sense of assurance that you’ve got a guy in there that’s battling every night.” Sean Monahan has registered 11 points to join Gaudreau in double figures.
OVERTIME
1. Flames RW Jaromir Jagr has missed five games with a lower-body injury and is not expected to return Sunday.
2. New Jersey backup G Keith Kinkaid (3-1-0, .910 save percentage) is expected to get the start against the Flames.
3. Calgary has won seven of the last nine meetings, but the Devils posted a 2-1 road victory in January.