G73 New Jersey Devils @ Arizona Coyotes: Battle of the basement dwellers

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A few notes to get you set for tonight’s game between the New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes:

A golden opportunity

Fabian Zetterlund has looked quite good since being recalled from Utica. He has hounded for pucks in the corners, used his power to get to the net, and been anything but trigger shy when the puck hits his stick. He has looked very effective.

The underlying numbers have painted a positive picture as well. He’s helped the Devils control 54% of the shot attempts and expected goals at 5v5.

With injuries piling up, and nothing left to play for, Lindy Ruff has rightfully rewarded Zetterlund and given the youngster an opportunity to showcase himself. The expectation is he’ll skate on the top line with Nico Hischier and Yegor Sharangovich in this game.

We know Nico, in particular, won’t hesitate to get him the puck and put that shot to use. A larger share of his shot contributions are assists than any other player on the roster.

It’ll be interesting to see if Zetterlund can make the most of his chance. He’s not going to get better linemates – or draw a juicer matchup – than this.