Visiting the PPG Paints Arena on Thursday, the New Jersey Devils (22-19-2) will get another reinforcement against the Pittsburgh Penguins (20-12-9), who sit in the second wild card position three points ahead of them.
Simon Nemec is back, and he’ll take his spot back next to Brenden Dillon.
He was one of the few Devils skaters who were finishing before he went down with injury. Perhaps, he can provide a boost in his return. Enough to fix their issues? Unlikely.
Hopefully, it’s at least a start.
Let’s dive into tonight’s matchup.
What to Know vs. Penguins
— The Devils and Steel City meet for the second of four matchups this season, after Jersey’s team defeated the Pens in a 2-1 shootout victory on Nov. 8, at the Rock.
— Arseny Gritsyuk scored the lone goal in regulation against Pittsburgh on Nov. 8, while Paul Cotter (GDG) and Jesper Bratt both converted in the shootout round.
— Jake Allen earned the victory between the pipes against Pittsburgh and stopped both of Pittsburgh’s shootout attempts.
— Bratt owns 28 career points (8g-20a) in 31 career games against Pittsburgh, which are his second most career points against a single opponent (vs PHI – 29).
— Looking back…Dawson Mercer earned his first career NHL hat-trick against Pittsburgh in April of 2022-23.
— In the dots…Nico Hischier ranked first in the NHL with 495 face-off wins this season, while Pittsburgh’s Sydney Crosby ranked third with 478 face-off wins in 2025-26, per Jan. 7.
— The Devils and Penguins have both recorded three games without recording a penalty this season, which are tied with St. Louis for the most games without recording a single penalty in 2025-26.
2025-26 vs. Penguins
12/6/25 SOW 2-1 Prudential Center
1/8/26 7:00 P.M. ET PPG Paints Arena
2/2/26 7:00 P.M. ET PPG Paints Arena
4/9/26 7:00 P.M. ET Prudential Center
Devils vs. Penguins
All-time Record: 119-117-29
All-time Home Record: 64-52-18
All-time Road Record: 55-65-11
Projected Devils Lineup*
Forwards
Jack Hughes – Nico Hischier – Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier – Dawson Mercer – Arseny Gritsyuk
Paul Cotter – Cody Glass – Connor Brown
Ondrej Palat – Luke Glendening – Stefan Noesen
Defensemen
Jonas Siegenthaler – Dougie Hamilton
Luke Hughes – Brett Pesce
Brenden Dillon – Simon Nemec
Goaltenders
Jake Allen
Jacob Markstrom
*Lineup subject to change
Current Injuries: Evgenii Dadonov (upper body), Johnathan Kovacevic (knee), Marc McLaughlin (undisclosed), Zack MacEwen (upper body).
2025-26 Total Man-Games Lost: 220
Projected Penguins Lineup*
Forwards
Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Ben Kindel – Evgeni Malkin – Yegor Chinakhov
Anthony Mantha – Tommy Novak – Justin Brazeau
Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari
Defensemen
Parker Wotherspoon – Erik Karlsson
Brett Kulak – Kris Letang
Ryan Shea – Jack St. Ivany
Goaltenders
Stuart Skinner
Arturs Silovs
*Lineup subject to change
How to Watch the Devils Game — 7:00 P.M. ET
Watch: MSGSN
Radio: DEVILS HOCKEY NET
Next Up
Sun., Jan. 11 At WPG 2:00 P.M. E.T.
Mon., Jan. 12 At MIN 8:00 P.M. E.T.
Wed., Jan. 14 Vs SEA 7:00 P.M. E.T.
Sat., Jan. 17 Vs CAR 7:00 P.M. E.T.
