Devils vs. Stars Preview: More Injury Woes

The New Jersey Devils will have a tough task ahead of them with a depleted blue line against the Dallas Stars

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The New Jersey Devils aren't quite out of a playoff spot, but time is running out, and they're reeling. It won't get any easier tonight, as injuries have stacked up again, and they're taking on a Dallas Stars team that had won five games in a row before their loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. Here are three things to watch. 

Keeping It Simple on Defense

The Devils will be without Jonas Siegenthaler, Dougie Hamilton and John Marino due to injury tonight. Siegenthaler got elbowed in the head by Matt Rempe against the New York Rangers on Monday night, and I'm assuming Marino got hurt at some point in that game, too. 

Siegenthaler and Marino's struggles aside, not having them in the lineup won't help the Devils try and shelter Luke Hughes and Šimon Nemec. Yes, Siegenthaler has been a turnover machine this season, and Marino has not been as sound defensively as he was in 2022-23. But they've been operating as the team's top pair under interim coach Travis Green. 

If Marino is out, Hughes and Nemec will be the team's top pair tonight. Nemec continues to play well, but the rookie wall has hit Hughes pretty hard. He has a negative Game Score in eight of his last 11 games, so there's no question he's struggling. 

Green talked about Hughes' struggles after the Rangers game and mentioned how his game gets too loose because he tries to do too much. Hughes will have to play a simple game against a Stars team that is one of the best at five-on-five in the NHL. 

This doesn't just apply to Hughes, though. The Devils couldn't generate anything off the rush against Rangers because their passing was wildly inaccurate. Keeping their breakouts simple to get the puck to their forwards cleanly will be key to generating offense against a stingy Stars defense.