New Jersey has been streaky in its own way, up and down like a 5-4 team. They've won 3 of their last 5, including a 7-1 rout of the same Rangers who just put 5 on Anaheim. Their latest was a 4-3 win over Colorado that should have been more comfortable: 39 shots on Scott Wedgewood, a 1-0 2nd period that held up, then a 3rd-period scramble once the Avalanche found 2 late. The Devils were rested for that one and Colorado wasn't. On Thursday the rest picture is close to even, since both clubs come in on a day off.
The matchup is easy to read. The Devils have shown they can drown a tired opponent in shots, and Anaheim's last 3 losses all came by giving up 3 or more and failing to answer. If New Jersey gets the first goal, it's hard to see where a 3rd Ducks goal comes from. The Devils' shakiness is defensive. They let the Avalanche back into it late and gave up 4 each to Ottawa and Washington in their other 2 recent losses, so this isn't a lineup that closes out games.
New Jersey has injuries of its own, with Nick Bjugstad on LTIR with a pectoral injury and Seamus Casey out 6-8 weeks after a knee procedure, but neither changes the top of the lineup the way Terry and Poehling's absences do in Anaheim. This is the Ducks' last chance to salvage something from this trip before heading home. A 4-game skid in October isn't a crisis, but a 5th loss in a building where the home team just ran a hot opponent out of its legs would start to feel like one.