Devils vs. Kings Preview: Keep the Good Vibes Going

The New Jersey Devils will look to keep their strong play going against a reeling Los Angeles Kings team.

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The vibes around the New Jersey Devils have been much better over the last three games. They've collected five out of a possible six points and will take on a reeling Los Angeles Kings team tonight at the Prudential Center. Here are three keys to victory. 

Taking Advantage of Kings Goaltending

The Kings looked like a Stanley Cup contender earlier this season, but they have fallen off a cliff over the last couple of months. It resulted in them firing coach Todd McLellan and replacing him with Jim Hiller, but at least in the immediate term, that hasn't seemed to help. 

Two nights ago should have been a decent spot for the Kings to pick up two points. Instead, they got romped 7-0 by the Buffalo Sabres. They gave up quite a few quality chances to the Sabres, but still, it's not like the Kings have been that poor a team at five-on-five during their struggles. 

Their five-on-five numbers have been solid over their last ten games, as they have an expected goals share (xG%) just a tick above 53.5 percent. They aren't giving up many grade-A chances, and they've been generating offense. So what's been the problem?

This will sound familiar to Devils fans, but goaltending has been an issue for the Kings. Cam Talbot got off to a strong start this season, but he's come down to Earth quite a bit. He has an .860 save percentage across his last eight appearances and is 0-5-2. 

The Kings turned to "Big Save Dave" Rittich to give them a lift. He's been solid, with a .919 SV% this season, but he gave up five goals in 17 shots against the Sabres before getting pulled in favor of Talbot, who gave up two on seven shots. 

Whoever the Kings turn to in net tonight will likely be a much easier task for the Devils after going up against Juuse Saros a couple of nights ago. The Kings have an .887 team SV% across their last ten games, which is actually worse than the Devils' team SV%. 

I don't expect the Devils to put up 5.05 expected goals at five-on-five as they did against the Predators, but they shouldn't be afraid to throw anything and everything at the net, given how the Kings' goaltending has been lately. With how their top-nine is playing, they could make it another long night for Los Angeles' netminding. 

Kings Top-6 Will Be a Test for Improved Devils Defense