Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 18 February, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

New Jersey Devils at Chicago Blackhawks: game preview

Puck drop21 Feb · 6:00 PM ET
VenueUnited Center
All-time meetings83 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Fifteen points apart last season

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

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
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

DateNew JerseyChicago
12 Nov 202512-4-1 · 25 pts2nd8-5-4 · 20 pts11th
29 Mar 202638-33-2 · 78 pts20th27-34-13 · 67 pts31st

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


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.

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

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
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.

New JerseyChicago
3.52xG for per game2.41
3.01xG against per game3.83
53.9%xG share38.7%
−4.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.7
−4.0GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−1.7

This season: 3 games for New Jersey, 4 for Chicago. 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

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

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

Skaters

Skaters to watch

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

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
86Jack Hughes31120.67
63Jesper Bratt30220.67
16Anton Frondell41341.00
59Tyler Bertuzzi41120.50
91Frank Nazar41120.50
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
43Luke Hughes31010.33
47Declan Chisholm30110.33
72Alex Vlasic40220.50
6Sam Rinzel31010.33
44Wyatt Kaiser40110.25
Defencemen stats

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 →

Expected starter after their game on 20 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 20 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

New Jersey crease

NJD · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 18 Feb

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.

Chicago crease

CHI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 18 Feb

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.


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
New Jersey2.004.332.803.10
Chicago2.254.252.603.35

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

New Jersey · injuries

Connor BrownLower BodyOutReturn12 Oct
Johnathan KovacevicKneeIRReturn10 Oct
Jonas SiegenthalerUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct
Nick BjugstadPectoralIRReturn19 Jan
Seamus CaseyKneeIRReturn21 Nov

Chicago · injuries

Andrew MangiapaneLower BodyOutReturn25 Oct
Connor BedardShoulderIRReturn7 Nov
Teuvo TeravainenUndisclosedOutReturn10 Oct
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.

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.

Injury report
#12Alexander CommandRound 1 · Orebro Jr.C
#37Matias VanhanenRound 2 · EverettLW
#44Nikita ShcherbakovRound 2 · Ufa Jr.D
#119Lavr GashilovRound 4 · Yekaterinburg Jr.C
Full draft
#34Xavier VilleneuveRound 2 · Blainville-boisbriandD
#35Ryan RoobroeckRound 2 · NiagaraLW
#66Samu AlalauriRound 3 · Pelicans Jr.D
#194Alexander IvanovRound 7 · Bars KazanD
Full draft

Updated after every final