
Devils head into matchup with the Blackhawks on losing streak
Associated Press
New Jersey Devils (37-28-7, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (21-41-9, in the Central Division)
Chicago; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The New Jersey Devils head into the matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks as losers of three straight games.
Chicago has a 21-41-9 record overall and a 14-17-4 record in home games. The Blackhawks are eighth in the league serving 9.0 penalty minutes per game.
New Jersey has a 20-15-2 record on the road and a 37-28-7 record overall. The Devils have gone 35-7-4 in games they score at least three goals.
The teams meet Wednesday for the second time this season. The Devils won the previous meeting 4-1.
TOP PERFORMERS: Connor Bedard has 20 goals and 36 assists for the Blackhawks. Ilya Mikheyev has four goals and one assist over the last 10 games.
Nico Hischier has 30 goals and 27 assists for the Devils. Timo Meier has six goals and two assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Blackhawks: 2-6-2, averaging 2.4 goals, 3.8 assists, 3.2 penalties and 11.9 penalty minutes while giving up 3.7 goals per game.
Devils: 4-5-1, averaging 2.8 goals, 5.1 assists, 2.6 penalties and 5.4 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.
INJURIES: Blackhawks: None listed.
Devils: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
Stanley Cup checklist: How do Devils stack up to Panthers and Oilers?
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Matthew Tkachuk or Sam Reinhart could fit in this category for the Panthers. Both are core pieces on long-term contracts and are players any team in the league would crave. The Devils have a true elite wing of their own, though. Bratt has been a point-per-game player each of the past two seasons. He has a $7.8 million average annual value cap hit — a great deal for the Devils given his production. Advertisement Oilers: Evan Bouchard Panthers: Gustav Forsling Devils: Dougie Hamilton Though prone to defensive mistakes, Bouchard has blossomed into an elite offensive player: one who can create offense even when playing away from McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Forsling is reliable and is one of the greatest waiver wire pickups in NHL history. Hamilton should currently be considered the Devils' No. 1 defenseman, but if Luke Hughes continues to develop, he could seize that crown (more on him in a bit). 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He's been an impact player this postseason, though, with 12 points in 18 games. Meanwhile, Florida is elite at wing. Reinhart is in the conversation for Tkachuk as the team's best wing. He had 57 goals in 2023-24 and then finished second in Selke voting this season. Verhaeghe has averaged more than 30 goals over the past three seasons (96 goals in 238 games) and has five career playoff overtime goals to boot. The Devils are paying Meier like an elite winger ($8.8 million AAV) and New Jersey needs him to play to that level. He had a strong postseason, but his goal total has decreased each of the past two seasons: from 40 in 2022-23 to 28 last season and 26 this season. Mercer is a respectable 3C option but hasn't consistently risen to the level of a top-six winger. For the Devils' top two lines to compare to the Oilers or Panthers, they probably need another top-six forward to round out the group. 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Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Vancouver Canucks Hit With Brutal Quinn Hughes News
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New York Times
2 days ago
- New York Times
Are the Cardinals this season's plot twist? Plus: Boston rookie brought the spice
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. Are the Cardinals this year's plot twist? Plus: Ken dives into the Roman Anthony conundrum in Boston, where the Red Sox just took two of three from the Yankees. And if you're looking for an underdog, I found him: He's in Detroit. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! I think the MLB season is more or less a theater show. It's never quite the same, but every year, some familiar roles are recast. Here's who's playing whom this year: There are the stars of the show (Tigers, Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Cubs, Padres), the What Happened ensemble (Orioles, Rangers, Red Sox, Diamondbacks and the Braves), the 'Hmmm, as I suspected: bad' chorus (Rockies, White Sox, Pirates, et al.), and then, there's everyone's favorite character: the Plot Twist. Advertisement By nature, plot twists are hard to identify less than halfway through the show. Remember last year, when the Pirates started the season 9-2? Had a winning record on Aug. 4? They almost had me. (In the end, it was the Tigers and Royals.) But this year … man, I'm starting to think it might be the Cardinals. After taking two of three from the Dodgers over the weekend, they're four games back in the NL Central, at 36-29 — the same record as the AL West-leading Houston Astros. So, are they for real? Hard to say. Going into last night's 7-3 loss to the Dodgers, they had scored 298 runs — seventh-best in the league. But everything else has been pretty aggressively average: Defensively, they were tied for 14th with 11 Defensive Runs saved, and their pitchers had allowed 266 runs allowed (also 14th). That rotation could get a boost soon, though, if they can find space for 24-year-old prospect Michael McGreevy, who showed some encouraging signs in his spot start against the Dodgers. As for the rest? We'll just have to keep watching, I guess. 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Cody Stavenhagen has the full story here. It's enough to make you root for the 27-year-old Jones, even if this is the first you're hearing about him. Oh by the way, Jones pinch-hit in the eighth inning again Saturday and singled. His pre-Tigers batting average? .198. As a Tiger, though — he's batting 1.000 so far. If you're the sort of baseball fan who needs an underdog to root for, Jones is my nomination. Trending up: the Blue Jays (8-2 in their last 10 games). Mitch Bannon explains what is going so right lately. Trending down: the Phillies (1-9 in their last 10, swept by the Pirates over the weekend). Bryce Harper (wrist) is on the IL, and Matt Gelb explains what (else) is going so wrong lately. It's official: Corbin Burnes is having Tommy John surgery. Ken says the implications go well beyond just the 2025 Diamondbacks. Juan Soto reached base six times yesterday. His OBP is up to .384, 15th in the majors. The (second) Craig Kimbrel era in Atlanta is over. After one day. Pete Alonso's new game-planning routine has been at the center of his big year, says WIll Sammon. Looking for the key to the Cubs' success? Don't overlook Kyle Tucker's 'aura,' but a resurgent Matt Shaw hasn't hurt, either. (Check back after the deadline to see if 'pitching' is added to this list.) 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.