- Nico Hischier (NJD): has scored 5 career goals in 13 games played against Detroit.
- Brad Marchand (BOS): is yet to score on the season. Owns 12 career goals against Dallas.
Two sides at opposite ends of the Eastern Conference meet in the Motor City on Friday.
The Devils are playing a high-risk, high-reward game of hockey to start the season, leading the league in shots and goals scored despite ranking top three in shots against.
New Jersey also sits towards the top of the league in high-danger chances that lead to goals, a worrying metric for a Red Wings team that has found it difficult to put the puck in the back of the net.
Through six games, Detroit ranks 26th in the league in goals scored, which largely explains their 3-3 record.
The Leafs are set to play the final game of this lengthy home stand before they venture to Boston on Sunday.
Toronto fell 6-2 to the Blue Jackets on Wednesday, which had to be expected given rookie goalie Dennis Hildeby was making his first start between the pipes.
Anthony Stolarz is set to return to the net for the home side on Friday, which is bad news for a Blues side that ranks 21st in goals scored.
Stolarz has been a revelation and the goalie Toronto fans have been waiting for to start the season, sporting a tidy 3-2 record with a 1.83 goal against average.
You could almost build a case here for the Sharks at long odds.
The Kings have been downright awful defensively to start the season, and it really doesn’t seem to matter who they put in net as they’ve allowed a total of 14 combined goals over their last four games.
The aren’t many positives to write home about when it comes to a Sharks side that waited until November 7 to win their first game last season, especially given they’ve struggled to score more than two goals on most nights.
Macklin Celebrini can’t return to the lineup quick enough, but with the Kings reeling and low on confidence, I can entertain a small play on San Jose at the line.