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Five things to watch when the New Jersey Devils return to action against the Arizona Coyotes:
Reuniting the ‘top’ line
The Devils are as close to full health as they’ve been in quite some time; especially up front. That means Lindy Ruff has the ability to reunite Pavel Zacha, Nico Hischier, and Tomas Tatar - three guys who’ve worked shockingly well together.
How well, you might ask? Let me tell you!
This trio has played more than 100 minutes at 5v5. In that time, the Devils have controlled 63% of the shot attempts and 60% of the expected goals. While they haven’t dominated to that extent on the scoreboard, they do have a positive goal differential.
This line has shown the ability to go up against opposing team’s best players and not only hold their own, but win. That’s what you want; especially since it frees up Jack Hughes and co. to face softer competition.
With Nico and Tatar playing some of their best hockey of the season, perhaps they can be the necessary spark to get Zacha back on the scoresheet.
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