The New Jersey Devils are looking to bounce back after an ugly loss as they battle the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night at 7 p.m. EST.

The Devils are 22-19-2 and sixth in the Metropolitan Division. They just lost to the New York Islanders on the road 9-0. The game was done early in the second period, as the Islanders were up 4-0 at that point. New Jersey outshot New York 44-24, outhit them 18-16, and won in faceoffs 30-25. The power play was 0-for-3 and the penalty kill was 0-for-0 on stops. The Devils gave the puck away a lot and had some quality chances blocked. They simply gave up goals on most of the Islanders' Grade A chances.

The Penguins are 20-12-9 and fifth in the Metropolitan Division. They just beat the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road 5-4 in overtime. This was a game of scoring runs for both teams. The Pens went up 1-0, gave up four straight goals, and then scored four straight goals of their own. The tying goal came with just 14 seconds left in regulation. Pittsburgh outshot Columbus 43-25 and won in faceoffs 34-30 but lost in hits 22-14. The power play was 1-for-3 and the penalty kill was 0-for-0 on stops. The Penguins used the Blue Jackets' giveaways to help with the comeback.

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Note: The above data was collected on Jan. 8, 2026, and may have changed since writing.

New Jersey Devils

Pittsburgh Penguins

New Jersey is 31st in scoring, 16th in goals against, 14th on the power play, and 24th on the penalty kill. Jesper Bratt leads the team in assists and points. Nico Hischier has been contributing well over the last 10 games. The Devils are 11-11 on the road and 4-5-1 in their last 10 games. New Jersey has lost six of their last eight games and scored one goal or fewer in five of those games. Despite the last game, the losses have been close and low-scoring. The last game was rock bottom of this bad stretch and the Devils will definitely play with an edge against Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh is 10th in scoring, 15th in goals against, third on the power play, and ninth on the penalty kill. Sidney Crosby leads the team in goals and points and is on a seven-game point streak, with multiple points in his last three outings. Erik Karlsson leads the defensive group in offensive production. The Penguins are 9-6-5 at home and 6-4 in their last 10 games. Pittsburgh has won five games in a row and is playing well on both sides of the puck. Also, superstar forward Evgeni Malkin might rejoin the lineup after an upper-body injury.

Best Bet: Devils Money line

New Jersey just had an embarrassing loss, but the shots were still there for them and the frustration has peaked. The Penguins are playing well and will try not to slow the good hockey down against the struggling Devils.