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New Jersey Devils GM Ray Shero added a lot of weapons in the off-season to try and improve upon the team's 28th ranked offense.
He drafted Nico Hischier, traded for Marcus Johansson and signed Will Butcher, Drew Stafford, and Jimmy Hayes, among others.
On opening day those additions paid off in a big way as Hischier tallied six shots, Johansson impressed with his speed, Butcher became the first Devil to record three points in his debut, Stafford had a pair of shots in six minutes, and Hayes scored while firing seven pucks on net.
The Devils were going up against what will likely be a weak defensive team in the Avalanche, but it looks like the new-look offense could actually be potent.
Today, they'll have another chance to prove it when they take on the Buffalo Sabres.
Here are the projected lineups:
New Jersey
*questionable
Taylor Hall - Pavel Zacha - Kyle Palmieri*
Marcus Johansson - Nico Hischier - Drew Stafford*
Jesper Bratt - Adam Henrique - Jimmy Hayes
Miles Wood - Blake Coleman - Stefan Noesen
Andy Greene - Damon Severson
John Moore - Will Butcher
Mirco Mueller - Steve Santini
Cory Schneider
Buffalo (via DailyFaceoff.com)
Evander Kane - Jack Eichel - Jason Pominville
Benoit Pouliot - Ryan O'Reilly - Kyle Okposo
Zemgus Girgensons - Sam Reinhart - Seth Griffith
Johan Larsson - Jacob Josefson - Matt Moulson
Nathan Beaulieu - Rasmus Ristolainen
Marco Scandella - Matt Tennyson
Jake McCabe - Viktor Antipin
Robin Lehner
Five things to watch:
1) With Travis Zajac sidlined, the Devils don't have an above average defensive center in their lineup. That could be a big problem going up against Jack Eichel's line, especially with Buffalo controlling the matchups (it'll be tough to get the Greene - Severson pairing out there consistently, and the others could be exposed).
2) Eichel gets the headlines -- deservedly so -- but it's his linemate, Evander Kane, who has been the Sabres' biggest threat thus far. In two games, he has registered two goals, four points, 19 shots, and 15 scoring chances (2nd only to Tyler Seguin). He's off to a roaring start.
3) Hischier didn't record a point in his debut, but he recorded six shots on goal, a game-high five chances at even-strength, and looked as dangerous as anyone on the ice. If he plays at close to that level again today, he's a good bet to find the scoresheet for the first time.
4) The Devils allowed 27 scoring chances in 36 minutes at 5v5 vs Colorado, which is *a lot*. They need to tighten up defensively if they're going to come away with another two points in this one.
5) The penalty kill was very good on opening night -- the Devils killed off all six penalties -- but they'll be in a lot of trouble if they are undisciplined vs the Sabres. Last season they led the NHL in PP goals per 60 minutes, finished 3rd in shots per 60, and are returning the same top unit.
Puck drop is just after 3 p.m. Eastern and can be seen on MSG and MSG-Buffalo.
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