G46 New Jersey Devils @ Ottawa Senators: Snap the skid

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Five things to watch when the New Jersey Devils take on the Ottawa Senators:

1. Picking up the slack

Headlined by Dougie Hamilton and now Jack Hughes, the Devils are missing a lot of firepower. That’s problematic for a team that was already struggling to score on a consistent basis.

With those two out of the lineup, even more weight is going to fall upon Jesper Bratt’s shoulders. He needs to facilitate consistent opportunities for others while also threatening himself.

The good news is he has shown the ability to do just that. He is one of the team’s leaders in 5 v5 shot assists – Nico Hischier is the only healthy player who averages more per game – and he has also picked things up as a shooter when away from No. 86.

Bratt averages just over 12 shot attempts per 60 when playing with Hughes. By comparison, he generates over 17 attempts per 60 with Nico. That’s a pretty drastic difference; one that shouldn’t be that surprising given Hughes is becoming more of a scoring threat (he’s 2nd on the team in goals and 1st on a per game basis).

Look for Bratt to handle his usual duties – driving play through the NZ, creating for others, etc. – while also becoming a little more trigger happy with the puck.