Devils vs. Ducks Preview: Build on Sharks Win

The New Jersey Devils need to build on their 7-2 win vs. the Sharks against another bottom-of-the-barrel team in the Anaheim Ducks.

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The New Jersey Devils got a much-needed blowout win against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. Tonight, they'll take on an Anaheim Ducks team in a similar position to the Sharks in the standings. The Ducks also played the Sharks last night, so the Devils need to take advantage of being the rested team. Here are three keys to victory. 

An Opportunity for Hughes & Hischier Lines

The Devils scored seven goals against the Sharks because their top-six got going for the first time in a long time. Nico Hischier had four points, Jack Hughes had three, and Timo Meier had two; he could've had three if his power-play goal didn't get called back for offsides. 

The line of Meier, Hischier and Bratt was dominant, as they were on the ice for four goals and finished with an expected goals share (xG%) above 60 percent. Meanwhile, Ondřej Palát, Hughes and Curtis Lazar showed some chemistry, finishing with an xG% of 71.17 percent while generating ten scoring chances and five high-danger opportunities. 

Tonight should present another opportunity for those two units to perform well. The Ducks are nowhere near as bad a defensive team as the Sharks, and they've actually improved this season under new head coach Greg Cronin. But they still rank in the bottom ten of the NHL in some key defensive metrics. 

The Ducks are giving up 2.67 expected goals per 60 at five-on-five for the season, ranked 22nd in the NHL. They're also allowing 12.72 high-danger chances per 60, ranked 29th. With John Gibson getting the start against the Sharks last night, the Devils will likely face Lukáš Dostál tonight. 

Dostál has been up and down this season, with an .897 save percentage. He's given up 6.5 goals above expected this season and has an .891 SV% across his last ten games. He's had some good performances and has shown promise, but he's still only 22 years old and developing.