New Jersey vs Chicago: Patrick Kane and company will upset the Devils’ youth

Chicago lost their opening game to Colorado and will now travel to New Jersey. Will Jeremy Colliton’s team manage to get their first win of the season? There are several options to choose from.

It’s true. The Devils are a very promising project. This team could be among the NHL’s content players in just a few years and firmly established there. Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Jonas Siegenthaler, Pavel Zacha. They are all under 25 years old. And that’s just a fraction of New Jersey’s gold reserves. And these youngsters must have an opportunity to grow and develop not under the guidance of, for example, Dallas Eakins, like the talents in Anaheim, but under Lindy Ruff. The experienced 61-year-old has a lot to pass on to his budding stars.

Separately, the Devils goaltending squad is worth mentioning, with Mackenzie Blackwood, arguably the league’s most promising goalie right now, likely to be the number one. In addition, there is another talent, 24-year-old Eric Comrie. Also, keepers over 30 are Scott Wedgwood and Aaron Dell. One of them is likely to be an asset to sign another promising fielder.

The Blackhawks have a similar situation to what’s going on in Jersey. A lot of talented hockey players are starting to become superstars. Only there are two nuances. The first one speaks volumes about Chicago as a team capable of battling for almost a Stanley Cup right now. And that, of course, is the presence of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Taves. They are slightly over 30, which often means a second youth for an athlete. Kane is still arguably the best hockey player on the planet in general?

The second nuance, though, overrides the first - the coaching position. It’s unclear whether Jeremy Colliton is capable of tackling in a truly serious way. The greatest folly of Blackhawks executives was parting ways with Joel Quenneville. Under his leadership, today’s Chicago would be close to being champion again.

The biggest trade of the offseason for the Blackhawks was the signing of Marc-Andre Fleury. He’s one of the best goalies of the modern era, although he made a mistake in the last play-offs. However, that didn’t stop him from winning three Stanley Cups.

Chicago lost 2-4 away to Colorado in the first game of the season, although they showed great offensively. Had it not been for 94% of Darcy Kuemper’s saves, the Blackhawks might have been able to claim the points. The Chicago Texans will likely erase the zero in the points column on the road trip to Jersey. After all, the Devils are a team to grow up and shouldn’t be guaranteed to beat opponents of Chicago’s level in regulation time. The visitors are also favoured by the absence of Mackenzie Blackwood, whose availability is questionable.

• Handicap 2 (0) for 2.09;
• X2 for 1.63.