G78 New Jersey Devils vs. Boston Bruins: Clinch night

The Devils can officially pencil themselves into the playoffs with a point against the struggling Bruins.

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The New Jersey Devils can officially clinch a playoff spot with a point against the Boston Bruins.

Here are a few notes to get you set for he game:

Sting like a B 🐝

The Bruins don’t have a lot going for them right now. They’re defending poorly, their goaltending hasn’t performed as expected, and they’re missing a lot of key players in their lineup.

They still have the NHL’s leader in 5v5 points (David Pastrnak) and recently stumbled into a combination that helps get the most out of their superstar winger and the top line as a whole. Morgan Geekie, Elias Lindholm, and Pastrnak make up said trio.

Any line possessing Pastrnak is dangerous, of course, but this one looks especially lethal.

The Bruins have controlled 66% of the expected goals, 76% of the high-danger chances, and scored nine times in less than 50 minutes of 5v5 play with this line on the ice.

They are generating chances at an absurd rate and, led by Pastrnak’s lethal finishing and sneaky playmaking, the opportunities are leading to ridiculous outputs.

Luckily, the Devils might just have the solution to slow them down. The Jesper Bratt - Nico Hischier - Stefan Noesen combination has allowed only one goal and five high-danger chances in almost an hour of 5v5 hockey. They are giving up nothing.

Whether that continues against Boston’s new-look top line will go a long way towards determining the outcome of this one.

Road woes 🛣️