Early look · NHL 2026-27

Chicago Blackhawks at New Jersey Devils: game preview

ChicagoBlackhawks2026-27: 1-3-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 29-39-14 · 72 pts · 31stat

New JerseyDevils2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 42-37-3 · 87 pts · 21st

Puck drop9 Jan · 12:00 PM ET

VenuePrudential Center

All-time meetings83 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Fifteen points apart last season

Chicago finished last season 31st in the league on 72 points. New Jersey finished 21st on 87.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 84

Across 83 completed games, New Jersey lead the head-to-head 48-23-12.

All-time record48-23-12New Jersey's record in the series

Meetings played83This is number 84

2025-26 series—

Last 55-0New Jersey

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

29 Mar 2026CHI 3 – NJD 5——NJD

12 Nov 2025NJD 4 – CHI 3 OT——NJD

26 Mar 2025NJD 5 – CHI 3——NJD

14 Dec 2024CHI 1 – NJD 4——NJD

5 Jan 2024CHI 2 – NJD 4——NJD

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateChicagoNew Jersey

12 Nov 20258-5-4 · 20 pts11th12-4-1 · 25 pts2nd

29 Mar 202627-34-13 · 67 pts31st38-33-2 · 78 pts20th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 12 Nov 2025, Chicago were 11th in the league and New Jersey 2nd. By 29 Mar 2026 it was 31st and 20th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

New Jersey out-attempted Chicago 161 to 108

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Chicago Blackhawks

108 att · 51 on goal · 6 G · 11.8%

Crease9 att · 1 G

Slot42 att · 3 G

Wing42 att · 2 G

Point12 att · 0 G

Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

New Jersey Devils

161 att · 77 on goal · 9 G · 11.7%

Crease12 att · 0 G

Slot65 att · 6 G

Wing57 att · 3 G

Point22 att · 0 G

Neutral zone5 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

New Jersey have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

ChicagoNew Jersey

2.41xG for per game3.52

3.83xG against per game3.01

38.7%xG share53.9%

−0.7FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.5

−1.7GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−4.0

This season: 4 games for Chicago, 3 for New Jersey. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Chicago

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2711.1%

Power play · 2025-2616.9% · 29th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2763.6%

Penalty kill · 2025-2683.6% · 2nd

Faceoffs · 2026-2742.1% · 99/235

Drawn · 2026-279 (2.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

New Jersey

Small sample

Power play · 2026-277.1%

Power play · 2025-2622.0% · 13th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2762.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2679.3% · 17th

Faceoffs · 2026-2747.5% · 87/183

Drawn · 2026-2714 (4.67/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Chicago

Expected starter after their game on 7 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

New Jersey

Expected starter after their game on 7 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Chicago crease

CHI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Jan

Spencer Knight.8913 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx +0.5

Arvid Soderblom.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.0

No appearances against New Jersey in the last meetings.

New Jersey crease

NJD · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Jan

Jake Allen.8752 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.7

Nico Daws.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.5

No appearances against Chicago in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.0 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

29 Mar 20268 · CHI 3–5 NJD

12 Nov 20257 · NJD 4–3 CHI

26 Mar 20258 · NJD 5–3 CHI

14 Dec 20245 · CHI 1–4 NJD

5 Jan 20246 · CHI 2–4 NJD

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Chicago2.254.252.603.35

New Jersey2.004.332.803.10

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.0Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings6.8Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

Chicago · injuries

Andrew MangiapaneLower BodyOutReturn25 Oct

Connor BedardShoulderIRReturn7 Nov

Teuvo TeravainenUndisclosedOutReturn10 Oct

New Jersey · injuries

Connor BrownLower BodyOutReturn12 Oct

Johnathan KovacevicKneeIRReturn10 Oct

Jonas SiegenthalerUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct

Nick BjugstadPectoralIRReturn19 Jan

Seamus CaseyKneeIRReturn21 Nov

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

3 Oct · CHI

Assigned D Charles Alexis Legault to Chicago (AHL).

24 Sep · CHI

Agreed to terms with F Oliver Moore on a five-year contract extension. Loaned Fs Jiri felcman, Martin Misiak and Marek Vanacker and D Dylan Anhorn to Rockford (AHL). Assigned F Brett Seney to Rockford.

21 Sep · CHI

Placed D Derrick Pouliot on waivers.

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers.

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers. Placed C/RW Marc McLaughlin, LD Vladislav Kolyachonok, G David Rittich, LW Riley Tufte, LD Topias Vilen, and C/RW Colin White on waivers.

25 Sep · NJD

Assigned Ds Mikael Diotte, Ethan Edwards, Jeremy Hanzel, Etienne Morin and Anton Silaev, Fs Josh Filmon, Lenni Hameenaho, Shane Lachance, Matyas Melovsky, Xavier Parent, Cam Squires and Ben Steeves and G Jakub Malek to Utica (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Utica Ds DJ King, Charles Leddy and Eamon Powell, Fs Tristan Ashbrook, Zachary Gallant, Gabe Klassen, Jack Malone, Justin Pearson, Ryan Schmelzer, Cristophe Tellier and Jermey Wilmer and Gs Jeremy Brodeur and Seth Eisele.

Injury report

Chicago · 2026 draft

See all: Chicago · 2026 draft →

#34Xavier VilleneuveRound 2 · Blainville-boisbriandD

#35Ryan RoobroeckRound 2 · NiagaraLW

#66Samu AlalauriRound 3 · Pelicans Jr.D

#194Alexander IvanovRound 7 · Bars KazanD

Full draft

New Jersey · 2026 draft

See all: New Jersey · 2026 draft →

#12Alexander CommandRound 1 · Orebro Jr.C

#37Matias VanhanenRound 2 · EverettLW

#44Nikita ShcherbakovRound 2 · Ufa Jr.D

#119Lavr GashilovRound 4 · Yekaterinburg Jr.C

Full draft

Saturday 9 January · the full slate

See all: Saturday 9 January · the full slate →

12:00 PM ET

CHIat

NJDThis game 3:30 PM ET

Updated after every final

Chicago Blackhawks at New Jersey Devils: game preview

Fifteen points apart last season

Meeting number 84

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

New Jersey out-attempted Chicago 161 to 108

Chicago Blackhawks

New Jersey Devils

New Jersey have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Chicago

New Jersey

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Chicago crease

New Jersey crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.0 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

8 on the injury lists

Chicago · injuries

New Jersey · injuries

Latest moves

Chicago · 2026 draft

New Jersey · 2026 draft

Saturday 9 January · the full slate