Yahoo Sports Devils Morning Skate Notebook: Projected Lineup, Swapping of Wingers & More
On Saturday night, the New Jersey Devils will host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Prudential Center. It is the team's first game in Newark after their two-game road trip against the St. Louis Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets.
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The team hit the ice for a 10:30 A.M. morning skate. All healthy skaters were accounted for. Curtis Lazar, who will be shut down until after the holidays, was not on the ice.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe made one change to his forward group, swapping wingers Dawson Mercer and Stefan Noesen.
"I have been mixing it up in the games as well. I am looking for one of them either way to take hold of their game and the situation," Keefe said. "Some of it is matchup and opponent-based. I haven't quite found a groove for either guy alongside Nico. We will just continue to work our way through that."
The following lines and pairs were used during their morning skate:
Ondrej Palat - Jack Hughes - Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier - Nico Hischier - Stefan Noesen
Paul Cotter - Erik Haula - Dawson Mercer
Tomas Tatar - Justin Dowling - Nathan Bastian
Brenden Dillon - Dougie Hamilton
Jonas Siegenthaler - Johnathan Kovacevic
Luke Hughes - Brett Pesce
Jacob Markstrom will get the start. The veteran goaltender has a 7-4-0 record in 11 games with a goals-against average of 2.27 and a save percentage of .931 against the Penguins in his career.
Entering tonight's game, three Devils players are on point streaks: Jack Hughes (four games), Luke Hughes (three games), and Ondrej Palat (two games).
The puck drops between the Devils and Penguins at 7:08 P.M. Fans can watch on MSGSN or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.
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