Game Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins @ New Jersey Devils 4/11/2025

Who: Pittsburgh Penguins (32-35-12, 76 factors, seventh place Metropolitan Division) @ New Jersey Devils (41-30-7, 89 factors, third place Metropolitan Division

When: 7:00 p.m. ET

Watch: SportsNet Pittsburgh and MSGSN within the native markets, NHL Community to the nationwide viewers

Pens’ Path Forward: The highway ends right here, a minimum of actually talking for the Pens’ final away sport of the season. They return dwelling to play Boston on Sunday afternoon (3:30 begin) after which end issues out with Recreation 82 on Thursday April seventeenth in opposition to Washington

Opponent Monitor: The Diablos misplaced 7-2 to Boston on Tuesday, and wait that should be a typo as a result of nobody loses to the Bruins nowadays, not to mention in a blowout. Yep, that’s proper. NJ might be seeking to buckle down and bounce-back from that embarrassing efficiency. Then once more, it’s been locked in for weeks if not months that NJ will face Carolina within the first spherical of the playoffs, they haven’t had quite a bit to be motivated about. However you must assume responding from a horrible prior sport goes to make for a concerted effort to take it to the Pens tonight.

Season Sequence: New Jersey took spherical one again in December in a 3-0 shutout win. The Devils then outlasted the Penguins 3-2 in a shootout in early February and Pittsburgh gained a 7-3 sport within the final assembly between the groups on March fifteenth. This would be the fourth and ultimate PIT/NJ sport, a regulation win as we speak would give Pittsburgh a 2-1-1 report and likelihood to got here the marginally higher finish of the collection (NJ coming into with a 2-1-0 report).

Hidden Stat: Per Pens PR: Relationship again to Mar. 20, 2021, the Penguins have factors in seven of its final 10 video games on the highway in opposition to the Devils (6-3-1). (I might have guessed it was a a lot worse report than that…)

Attending to know the Devils

Projected strains

FORWARDS

Stefan Noesen – Nico Hischier – Jesper Bratt

Erik Haula – Dawson Mercer – Timo Meier

Ondrej Palat – Justin Dowling – Tomas Tatar

Paul Cotter – Cody Glass – Daniel Sprong

DEFENSEMEN

Luke Hughes -/Brett Pesce

Brian Dumoulin / Jonathan Kovacevic

Brendon Dillon /Seamus Casey

Goalies: Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen

Scratches: Dougie Hamilton (injured, out for a minimum of common season), Nathan Bastian, Nolan Foote, Curtis Lazar, Kurtis MacDermid, Dennis Cholowski, Simon Nemec

IR: Jack Hughes (shoulder surgical procedure, out till fall), Jonas Sigenthaler

—Elliotte Friedman mentioned there’s a “chance” Hamilton may return from damage in the course of the first spherical however it didn’t sound like he’s ramping up and identified to be able to hit the bottom operating in time for Recreation 1. That’s an enormous improvement. It’s a minimum of cleared the best way for the teen Casey to get some NHL time however all issues thought of you already know the Devils would favor having their prime man wholesome at this a part of the season.

—NJD is group No. 8 for Daniel Sprong, picked up on the commerce deadline. He had no factors in his first seven video games with Jersey however then received an help within the 7-2 loss final sport out. Averaging solely 11:39 per sport he’s a bit participant for them.

—Glass began out sizzling with the Devs by placing up 2G+3A in his first 5 video games because the Pens despatched him over in a commerce deadline day transfer. Wouldn’t you already know it, he’s cooled off with simply 0G+1A in his final 5 video games and his ice time has cratered within the final two. Was cool to see him get off to an important begin however it appears like water has rapidly discovered its degree there.

—Then again it appears like Dumoulin has been utilized in a measured however efficient approach. He’s been bouncing round these days too, NJD is his third new group since leaving Pittsburgh on the finish of the 2023 season. As a consequence of accidents and his groups not qualifying Dumoulin has solely performed 1 playoff sport because the finish of the 2021 season (and that was in 2022), it’ll be good to see him have the chance to get again at it.

Participant stats

(through hockeydb)

—Captain Nico Hischier has answered the decision to step his sport up since Jack Hughes (shoulder surgical procedure) was misplaced for the stability of the season. Hischier leads the Devils with 9G+9A within the 15 video games since Hughes was knocked out. Different massive performers: Jesper Bratt (4G+14A) and brother Luke Hughes (2G+12A).

—The Devs really want to get Markstrom on monitor. He’s been up and down in his first season in New Jersey, an damage suffered on Jan twenty second didn’t assist issues. Proper when it regarded like Markstrom was rounding a nook with a 3-0 report and .950 save% in a stretch beginning on March twenty ninth he went out and laid an egg giving up seven objectives to lowly Boston on simply 23 photographs. Time is operating very brief and the Hurricanes are looming.

And now for the Pens

Projected strains

FORWARDS

Ville Koivunen – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust

Danton Heinen – Evgeni Malkin – Rickard Rakell

Connor Dewar – Kevin Hayes – Valtteri Puustinen

Joona Koppanen – Vasily Ponomarev – Emil Bemstrom

DEFENSEMEN

Matt Grzelcyk / Kris Letang

Erik Karlsson / Conor Timmins

Ryan Graves / Ryan Shea

Goalies: Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic

Potential Scratches: Vladislav Kolyachonok, Tommy Novak (decrease physique, out for season), Boko Imama (bicep surgical procedure, out for season), Philip Tomasino (concussion), Blake Lizotte (out for season), Noel Acciari (out for season), Rutger McGroarty (foot, out for NHL season)

Injured Reserve: P.O. Joseph (higher physique)

—With three extra video games to go on the season, the Pens are beginning to limp in the direction of the end line a bit of bit. Their previous battle horse Noel Acciari will miss his first sport of the season tonight and has been dominated out for the remainder of the season. Nieto, McGroarty and Novak have additionally performed their final NHL video games for this 12 months.

—In spite of everything these strikes the Val/Vlad/Vil/Vas’s (Valtteri, Vladislav, Ville, Vasily) now outnumber the Con(n)ors (Timmins, Dewar) and Ryan’s on the NHL roster

Jarry’s shutouts

The Pens’ goalie is on a sizzling streak with two shutouts over his final 4 begins.

They arrive from completely different eras within the sport however it’s wild to assume Jarry is on the verge of tying Tom Barrasso for profession shutouts with the Penguins. Yet another and Jarry might be at half of Marc-Andre Fleury’s totals! Who would have guessed that off-hand?

Sid goals to hitch the legends

With three video games to go on the season, Crosby might be proper within the candy spot with Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux for among the finest age-37 seasons ever. Sid gained’t get to Joe Sakic’s 100 however it’s spectacular firm to maintain nonetheless.

From Pens PR:

Sidney Crosby is statistically having among the finest seasons in NHL historical past by a participant of their age 37 season or older, as his 87 factors are the sixth most in a single season in league historical past:

Most Factors in Single Season at Age 37 or Older, NHL Historical past

Participant Age Yr Factors

Gordie Howe 40 1968-69 103
Joe Sakic 37 2006-07 100
Johnny Bucyk 37 1972-73 93
Mario Lemieux 37 2002-03 91
Wayne Gretzky 37 1997-98 90
Sidney Crosby 37 2024-25 87
Jean Ratelle 37 1977-78 84
Johnny Bucyk 40 1975-76 83