‹FRI OCT 30›
3 games
Early look The full preview opens on Tuesday 27 October, 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 Vegas Golden Knights: game preview

Puck drop30 Oct · 6:00 PM ET
VenueT-Mobile Arena
All-time meetings16 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Eight points apart last season

New Jersey finished last season 21st in the league on 87 points. Vegas finished 13th on 95.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 17

Across 16 completed games, Vegas lead the head-to-head 10-2-4.

All-time record10-2-4Vegas's record in the series
Meetings played16This is number 17
2025-26 series—
Last 54-1Vegas
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
17 Dec 2025NJD 2 – VGK 1 SO——NJD
5 Dec 2025VGK 3 – NJD 0——VGK
2 Mar 2025NJD 0 – VGK 2——VGK
6 Feb 2025VGK 3 – NJD 1——VGK
17 Mar 2024NJD 1 – VGK 3——VGK
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNew JerseyVegas
5 Dec 202516-11-1 · 33 pts12th13-6-8 · 34 pts8th
17 Dec 202519-14-1 · 39 pts13th16-6-10 · 42 pts5th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 5 Dec 2025, New Jersey were 12th in the league and Vegas 8th. By 17 Dec 2025 it was 13th and 5th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

New Jersey out-attempted Vegas 130 to 115

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

New Jersey Devils

130 att · 57 on goal · 1 G · 1.8%
Crease8 att · 1 G
Slot52 att · 0 G
Wing52 att · 0 G
Point13 att · 0 G
Neutral zone5 att · 0 G

Vegas Golden Knights

115 att · 62 on goal · 4 G · 6.5%
Crease11 att · 1 G
Slot54 att · 2 G
Wing25 att · 1 G
Point19 att · 0 G
Neutral zone6 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Vegas 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 JerseyVegas
3.52xG for per game3.79
3.01xG against per game2.09
53.9%xG share64.4%
−4.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals+1.8
−4.0GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−1.6

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

Vegas

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2731.3%
Power play · 2025-2624.6% · 6th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2783.3%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.4% · 7th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.0% · 122/230
Drawn · 2026-2716 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (3.00/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
9Jack Eichel428102.50
95Victor Olofsson44151.25
48Tomas Hertl43251.25
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
43Luke Hughes31010.33
47Declan Chisholm30110.33
27Shea Theodore41230.75
15Noah Hanifin41010.25
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 28 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 27 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

New Jersey crease

NJD · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 27 Oct

Jake Allen.8752 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.7
Nico Daws.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.5

No appearances against Vegas in the last meetings.

Vegas crease

VGK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 27 Oct

Carter Hart.8903 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx −1.1
Adin Hill.9001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx −0.5

No appearances against New Jersey in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 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

17 Dec 20253 · NJD 2–1 VGK
5 Dec 20253 · VGK 3–0 NJD
2 Mar 20252 · NJD 0–2 VGK
6 Feb 20254 · VGK 3–1 NJD
17 Mar 20244 · NJD 1–3 VGK

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
Vegas4.252.503.233.05

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 suggest6.2Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings3.2Goals 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

Vegas · injuries

Lukas CormierUndisclosedIRReturn22 Oct
Raphael LavoieUndisclosedOutReturn8 Oct
Victor OlofssonUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 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.

30 Sep · VGK

Signed C William Karlsson to a two-year contract.

29 Sep · VGK

Placed C Jakub Cormier, RW Matyas Hemmerling and C Jakub Uchacz on the injured non-roster list.

23 Sep · VGK

Placed D Jaycob Megna, D Adam Ginning, D Joe Fleming, C Jakub Demek and D Jeremy Davies 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
#29Juho PiiparinenRound 1 · TapparaD
#63ForfeitedRound 2 ·
#92Benjamin WilmottRound 3 · BarrieC
#95Sean BurickRound 3 · PentictonD
Full draft

Updated after every final