Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the NHL preseason match.
Both clubs have suffered two losses each in their preseason games leading up to the regular season. So far, their opponents have clearly outplayed them.
New Jersey Devils
Once again, as in the first game against the Islanders, the Devils did not concede in the first period, this time against the Montréal Canadiens. In net at the beginning of the game was not Jacob Markström but Jake Allen, who played for both the Montréal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils last season. The 34-year-old goaltender was finally beaten only at the start of the second period and left the ice with a single goal allowed and a save percentage of 0.923 over 28 minutes. His backup, Nico Daws, also conceded just one goal during his half of the match. The problem for the Devils wasn't that they conceded a lot, but that they failed to score. Nearly all of the main roster was absent, and they were playing against the Canadiens' top two lines almost at full strength. Their power play also struggled, failing to convert any of their six opportunities. However, credit must be given to their penalty-killing units as well; the Canadiens didn't capitalise on any of their eight chances.
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals lost to the Boston Bruins by two goals (2:4), but they only managed to score their first goal at 11 minutes into the second period when the score was already 0:3. The Capitals' problem in both preseason matches has been limited shooting (no more than 22 shots) and poor conversion rates (no higher than 9.5%), whereas their opponents have scored on about 21% of their shots. Their upcoming opponents, the Devils, also struggle in this regard, averaging just 4% over two games.
New Jersey Devils vs Washington Capitals Prediction
Given such poor finishing and the absence of key players, we don't see anything but a low-scoring game, even if there is an empty-net goal.
