Devils Game 44, Nemo’s Back; Lines, Notes, & How to Watch vs. Penguins

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Devils Game 44, Nemo’s Back; Lines, Notes, & How to Watch vs. Penguins

James Nichols · Sportsnaut

Thu, Jan 8, 2026 ·

3 min read

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Visiting the PPG Paints Arena on Thursday, the New Jersey Devils (22-19-2) will get another reinforcement against the Pittsburgh Penguins (20-12-9), who sit in the second wild card position three points ahead of them.

Simon Nemec is back, and he'll take his spot back next to Brenden Dillon .

He was one of the few Devils skaters who were finishing before he went down with injury. Perhaps, he can provide a boost in his return. Enough to fix their issues? Unlikely.

Hopefully, it's at least a start.

Let's dive into tonight's matchup.

What to Know vs. Penguins

— The Devils and Steel City meet for the second of four matchups this season, after Jersey's team defeated the Pens in a 2-1 shootout victory on Nov. 8, at the Rock.

— Arseny Gritsyuk scored the lone goal in regulation against Pittsburgh on Nov. 8, while Paul Cotter (GDG) and Jesper Bratt both converted in the shootout round.

— Jake Allen earned the victory between the pipes against Pittsburgh and stopped both of Pittsburgh's shootout attempts.

— Bratt owns 28 career points (8g-20a) in 31 career games against Pittsburgh, which are his second most career points against a single opponent (vs PHI – 29).

— Looking back… Dawson Mercer earned his first career NHL hat-trick against Pittsburgh in April of 2022-23.

— In the dots… Nico Hischier ranked first in the NHL with 495 face-off wins this season, while Pittsburgh's Sydney Crosby ranked third with 478 face-off wins in 2025-26, per Jan. 7.

— The Devils and Penguins have both recorded three games without recording a penalty this season, which are tied with St. Louis for the most games without recording a single penalty in 2025-26.