G37 New Jersey Devils vs New York Islanders: Back in business

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Five things to watch for when the New Jersey Devils return to action against the New York Islanders:

1. Jonas Siegenthaler SZN

Jonas Siegenthaler has carved out a big role on this Devils team; and it’s about to get even bigger. Dougie Hamilton and Damon Severson are both out tonight, which leaves the Devils paper thin on the back end. They’re going to need to rely on their top dogs to carry a heavy workload; perhaps none more so than Siegenthaler. And we have every reason to believe he can handle it.

He has averaged better than 22 minutes in five of six games since returning from the holidays. The Devils have given up just 50 attempts and 2.04 expected goals per 60 minutes with Siegenthaler on the ice.

His defensive impact, which has been elite all season long, has not dropped at all as his workload’s increased.

If the Devils are going to have a shot at pulling off an undermanned victory, Siegenthaler will be almost certainly be a key factor why.