G71 New Jersey Devils vs Montreal Canadiens: Tank battle!

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A few notes to get you set for tonight’s tank battle between the New Jersey Devils and the Montreal Canadiens:

A smash spot for Nico

Nico Hischier was an absolute beast last time out. Although he didn’t find the scoresheet, he did everything but. He led the team in shots on goal and high-danger chances while lapping the field in terms of shot contributions.

If he has anywhere close to that same kind of juice tonight, he could be in for a big game.

The Canadiens saw a bit of a bump when Martin St. Louis took over behind the bench. There’s only so much you can squeeze out of a bad team, though. The Canadiens’ defensive metrics have plummeted of late and they’ve had a harder time defending centers than any other position.

Montreal has conceded 12.76 shots per game to centers since the beginning of March. That ranks them dead last in the NHL. They’ve also conceded 32 goals (31st) and 71 points (31st), so the shots and chances they’re allowing are proving fruitful for opposing pivots.

With Jack Hughes out of the mix, and the team’s forward depth thinned out, even more is going to fall on Nico’s shoulders.

I think he’ll be up to the task; especially in a matchup such as this.