The New Jersey Devils are set to play the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Friday, continuing their four-game road trip. The Devils enter the matchup with an 8-3-0 record, while the Kings stand at 5-3-4.
This game follows consecutive losses for New Jersey, who fell to both the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks to start their road stretch. These defeats mark the first time this season that the Devils have lost two games in a row.
The team is facing lineup challenges due to injuries. Defenseman Brett Pesce remains out, and forward Connor Brown’s status is uncertain after missing practice on Friday. Several other players, including Glass (upper-body), Dadonov (hand), Kovacevic (knee), McLaughlin (undisclosed), and MacEwen (upper body) are also sidelined for varying durations.
In response to these absences, head coach Sheldon Keefe has adjusted defensive pairings. Notably, Luke Hughes will play on his offside paired with veteran Brenden Dillon. Keefe explained: “We decided to give Luke a go there. We think there are some good offensive things he can provide there. We think just giving him a veteran guy is proving to be important, Luke’s still a young guy here, he needs a foundation, someone to settle him down, talk to him when he’s on the bench and we need him to step up in lots of ways so we’ve got to support him appropriately, especially now when we’re asking him to go onto his off side.”
Seamus Casey will not dress for this game; Dennis Cholowski will be included in the lineup.
The Kings come into this contest after a 4-3 shootout loss against the Detroit Red Wings but have managed to collect points in seven straight games during their current homestand.
Among standout performers for New Jersey is Jack Hughes, who has recorded six points—including three goals—in his last five games and currently leads the NHL in goals with nine. Dawson Mercer recently scored twice against San Jose. For Los Angeles, Corey Perry has contributed five goals and seven points over their last five outings.
The two teams will meet again during the regular season on March 14 in New Jersey.
Jacob Markstrom agreed to terms on a two-year contract with an average annual value of $6 million on Friday.
