Tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET, the New Jersey Devils visit the Pittsburgh Penguins as both teams open up their seasons at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The game can be live streamed here. Devils fans can hear all the ice melting action on The Fan on 101.9 FM while Penguins fans can do the same at 105.9 WXDX-FM
Jaromir Jagr makes his return to the place his career got started in Pittsburgh, as this time he sports a Devils jersey for the first time after signing a one-year contract with New Jersey this summer. The Devils took three of four meetings between the teams last year, but Pittsburgh finished on top of the Eastern Conference while the Devils failed to make the playoffs. This will be the team's first meeting as members of the newly realigned Metropolitan Division.
Jagr, who split time between the Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Stars last season, appeared in 45 games and put up 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points. Jagr, who missed the entire preseason with various injuries, said he likes the Pens' fan's passion, but expects to be booed.
"The fans, they're going to boo me, no question about it," he said Wednesday per NHL.com. "That's OK. I got used to it already."
Cory Schneider will man the crease for the Devils after he was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks this offseason, as incumbent goaltender Martin Brodeur misses the opener for the first time in 18 years as a result of being away from the team during this past week's practices due to the death of his father.
In the 48-game lockout-shortened season last year, Schneider went 17-9-4 through 30 games with a 2.11 GAA and a .927 save percentage, while Brodeur went 13-9-7 with a 2.22 GAA and .901 save percentage in 29 games.
The Penguins will counter with Marc-Andre Fleury between the pipes, who played in 33 games last season and posted a 23-8-0 record with a 2.39 GAA and a .916 save percentage. Fleury fizzled out in the playoffs, but believes he'll be better this year.
"I feel like I've gotten better as camp went on," Fleury told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "My timing, everything, feels pretty good right now."
The Devils are missing two of its top scorers as Ilya Kovalchuk opted out of his contract to sign with Russia's KHL and David Clarkson signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, taking a combined 26 goals out of the team's lineup from last year's shortened season. The Devils hope the addition of Jagr, along with Michael Ryder and Ryan Clowe will give the team its grit and scoring power it lost with Kovalchuk and Clarkson leaving.
The Penguins look to continue their success of last season which saw the team rampage through the regular season to become the No.1 seed before getting swept out of the Eastern Conference Finals by the Boston Bruins. With offensive weapons like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins have once again emerged as a Stanley Cup favorite.
Crosby, who was a Hart finalist despite battling a jaw injury and missing time, scored 15 goals and 41 assists for 56 points, while Malkin lit the lamp nine times and added 24 assists for 33 points.
The Penguins look to start off another season where they're a Cup favorite on the right foot while the Devils look to spoil Pittsburgh's homecoming tonight.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
