New Jersey Devils News

The Flamers uncontested number-one goaltender unsurprisingly gets the nod for the Heritage Classic on Sunday night. Markstrom leads the league in losses with four thanks in large part to a lack of goal support. The 33-year-old Swede allowed just two goals on 34 shots in Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Blues. He owns a respectable .906 SV% and a 2.67 GAA on the season. The job won't get any easier for Markstrom on Sunday as he'll take on a rejuvenated Oilers team in the outdoor classic with Connor McDavid likely to return.

Hischier was hit in the head by Connor Clifton of the Buffalo Sabres on Friday before exiting the game with only 11:11 time-on-ice. Clifton was issued a match penalty on the play. Hischier, whose status beyond Sunday is still unknown, has been off to a slow start this season, tallying only two points (0G / 2A) through seven games.

Allen stopped 36 of 37 shots in the Canadiens' win in Buffalo on Monday. After giving up five goals in Toronto on opening night, Allen has won two straight while stopping 67 of 70 shots (.957 SV%). Tonight, he'll take on a Jets team that is riding a three-game winning streak, outscoring their opponents 11-to-5.

Markstrom dropped his fourth straight contest in his previous start vs. the NYR after allowing three goals on 20 shots (.850 SV%) but will start Thursday against St. Louis. The 33-year-old is disappointing yet again as he is producing a SV% below .900 for a second-straight season with his 1-3-1 record, .897 SV% and 2.80 GAA. He hosts the St. Louis Blues, who have lost three of their last five games and are struggling mightily offensively as they rank last in the NHL in shots per game (23.2) and goals per game (2.0).

Pesce has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury and will now likely miss anywhere from 2-4 weeks after he underwent surgery Tuesday. His presence will be missed by a Hurricanes team that has struggled defensively to start the season, allowing an average of 4.71 goals per game. Pesce, whose minutes have been replaced primarily by Jalen Chatfield, has two points (1G / 1A) in five games this season.

Bordeleau was a healthy scratch for the Sharks' previous contest but will draw back into the lineup as San Jose goes back to the standard 12 forwards/6 defensemen line combos. The 21-year-old centre has a goal, five SOG, two PIMs, and a -2 plus/minus in four games with the Sharks so far in 2022-23. Bordeleau will take Marc-Edouard Vlasic's spot in the Sharks' lineup.

Markstrom will look to end his three-game losing streak (0-2-1) as he prepares himself as the starting goalie against the New York Rangers on Tuesday. He has served as the backup to Dan Vladar in two of the Flames' last three games but even with a losing record (1-2-1), Markstrom has played reasonably well this season with a 2.75 GAA and .905 SV%. The Flames are +112 home underdogs tonight.

Pesce did not play on Saturday due to a lower-body injruuy and will remain out for Tuesday's contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning after not traveling with the team. After registering a career-best 30 points (5G / 25A) in 82 games in the 2022-23 season, Pesce has had a nice start to 2023-24 with two points (1G / 1A) in five games. Jalen Chatfield will likely remain in the lineup until Pesce can return.

Hischier left the Devils' previous game vs. the New York Islanders early in the third period after just 13:20 TOI due to an upper-body injury but will return to the Devils' lineup Tuesday vs. Montreal. The 24-year-old star has surprisingly failed to pick up a point in any of his four games played in 2023-24, but he has seven SOG, two PIMs, and a +1 plus/minus. He will return to the Devils' second line and first powerplay unit.

Pesce did not play on Saturday and his status remains up in the air for Tuesday's contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning. After registering a career-best 30 points (5G / 25A) in 82 games in the 2022-23 season, Pesce has had a nice start to 2023-24 with two points (1G / 1A) in five games. Jalen Chatfield will likely remain in the lineup until Pesce can return.

Allen will get his third start of the season on Monday against the Buffalo Sabres. After a poor showing in his first outing, allowing five goals on 42 shots in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Allen bounced back with a solid 31-save performance to help defeat the Washington Capital by a score of 3-2. The Canadiens are off to a better-than-expected 2-1-1 start but are +156 road underdogs against a Sabres team that is averaging a lowly 2.40 goals per game this season (2-3-0).

Hischier left the Devils' game early on Friday after suffering an upper-body injury but was back at practice as a full participant on Monday morning. This is a good indication that Hischier won't miss any more time and will slide back into his usual spot on the second line. He has zero points, seven shots, and four hits in four games this season.

Markstrom will return to the crease for his fourth start of the season after his understudy, Daniel Vladar, served between the pipes in Thursday’s win over the Sabres. Markstrom has endured an up and down start to the season, featuring a pair of solid performances against the Jets and Capitals, and one not-so-solid performance against the Penguins. His record on the season sits at 1-1-1 to go along with an .898 SV% and a 2.96 GAA. He’s in a good spot to get back in the win column tonight in Columbus with the Flames currently being favoured at -145.

MacEwen was placed on waivers Thursday but cleared and has officially been reassigned to Belleville (AHL). The 26-year-old enforcer had an assist, two SOG, and a +1 plus/minus in two games played in 2023-24 while averaging only 6:38 TOI on the Senators' fourth line. He was signed to a three-year, $2.325 million contract ($775,000 AAV) by the Ottawa in the offseason.

Glass left the Predators' previous game vs. NYR early after just three shifts and 1:46 toI due to a lower-body injury and will now be out 7-10 days. The 24-year-old centre had yet to pick up a point this season in five games played, but has nine SOG and two PIMs. He is coming off a career campaign in 2022-23, where he had 14 goals, 21 assists, 20 PIMs and a +9 plus/minus in 72 games.

Allen will return to the crease for the first time since opening night when he allowed five goals on 42 shots in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sam Montembault has been between the pipes in the two games since but hasn't been significantly more effective in helping the Canadiens shut things down defensively. The Canadiens currently rank 25th in the league, allowing an average of 4.00 goals per game. Working in Allen's favour, he will be facing off against a Washington Capitals team that is off to an abysmal start. After three games (1-2-0), the Capitals rank dead-last offensively, averaging only 1.00 goals per game.

Markstrom appears to have a firm grip on his role as a workhorse in the Calgary crease this season. The 33-year-old netminder averaged 61 starts over the last two seasons and has been named the starter for each of the Flames' first three games to begin the 2023-24 campaign. How much fantasy value that role will provide remains to be seen. Markstrom put on an impressive 34-save performance on route to a 5-3 victory over the Jets to open the season, but surrendered four goals on just 28 shots in Saturday's loss to Pittsburgh. The Flames are slight favourites in Washington tonight, so fantasy managers can be hopeful for a bounceback game from Markstrom.