The Matchup: The Edmonton Oilers (4-8-2) take on the New Jersey Devils (4-10-2) at the Prudential Center. This is their first and only meeting of the season.

The Last Oilers Game: The Detroit Red Wings blew out the Oilers, 6-2, last night at Joe Louis Arena. The Red Wings built a 5-0 lead through two periods, marking the second straight game the Oilers allowed five goals. Dustin Penner and Theo Peckham scored third period goals to break the shutout.

The Last Devils Game: The Buffalo Sabres stole one away from the Devils, 5-4, in a shootout Wednesday night at the Prudential Center. The Devils held three leads in the game, but let each slip away. Tyler Ennis scored in the third period to tie the game, and the teams remained scoreless through regulation and the overtime period. Thomas Vanek put the Sabres ahead in the shootout, but Jamie Langenbrunner answered right back. In the fourth round, with the teams tied at 1-1, Derek Roy beat Johan Hedberg to give the Sabres the 2-1 advantage. Ilya Kovalchuk had the chance to keep the Devils in the game, but he lost the puck on his attempt and never got a shot off on Jhonas Enroth.

The Last Oilers - Devils Game: The Oilers defeated the Devils, 2-0, last season in Edmonton. Gilbert Brule broke a scoreless tie at 1:23 of the second period, giving the Oilers a 1-0 lead. Marc Pouliot pushed the lead to 2-0 with a goal at 8:28 of the third period. Jeff Deslauriers stopped 22 shots for the shutout.

For a look at the overall matchup between the two franchises, including historical stats, check our season preview post.

Marty Returns! Martin Brodeur will start tonight's game after missing two and a half games due to an elbow injury. After what happened two years ago, I'm glad to see him coming back so quickly. Hedberg didn't do terribly in the relief appearances, but it's not the same without MB30 between the pipes.

Tonight's Matchup: The Devils had their offense rolling Wednesday night, but they forgot the defense. That led to those three blown leads and a shootout loss. The number one objective tonight needs to be putting together a solid defensive effort. If they can repeat the offensive output from Wednesday and play some better defense, then the Devils would set themselves up for a win. But we've been asking for a complete game from end-to-end all season, and we've only seen that happen four times. Every Devils mistake is becoming a goal right now, so the Devils need these complete games to get their game going.

The Oilers, like the Sabres, should provide a confidence boost and the opportunity for at least a point. In their past two games, Edmonton has been outscored 13-3 while looking absolutely terrible. They're last in the Western Conference, and while the Devils sit in the same position, I think New Jersey looks like the team more likely to break their skid. The Devils outrank the Oilers in almost every significant category, including goals against and shots for. The Devils need this win, especially on home ice, to inspire confidence and let them know that their offensive efforts are paying off.

New Jersey is still looking for their first home win as well. It's killing me that they're this terrible at The Rock. The fans are continuing to come out, and Wednesday night was a loud game. The Devils need to reward their fans and get something going on home ice. The Oilers are the perfect team to help get the Devils going in the right direction.

Jamie Langenbrunner will not play tonight with an upper body injury. Brian Rolston will return to the lineup.

For a view on the game from the Oilers point of view, check out Low On Oil.

Gametime is 7 p.m., and you can watch the game on MSG Plus or listen on WFAN 660 AM. Also, make sure to check out our live game thread, beginning at 6:45! Here's a guess at tonight's starting lineup:

Ilya Kovalchuk - Travis Zajac - Alexander Vasyunov
Patrik Elias - Jason Arnott - Mattias Tedenby
Brian Rolston - Dainius Zubrus - David Clarkson
Rod Pelley - Adam Mair - Stephen Gionta


Colin White - Henrik Tallinder
Andy Green - Anton Volchenkov
Olivier Magnan - Matt Taormina


Martin Brodeur
Johan Hedberg

The Matchup: The Buffalo Sabres (4-9-2) face off against the New Jersey Devils (4-10-1) at the Prudential Center. This is the third of four meetings between the two teams this season. The teams have split the season series so far, 1-1-0.

The Last Sabres Game: Buffalo defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2, in a shootout Saturday. Trailing, 2-0, in the second period, Buffalo began their comeback. Derek Roy scored his seventh goal of the season at 18:56 of the period to cut the deficit in half. Jochen Hecht scored his first goal of the year with 14 seconds left in regulation to tie the game, 2-2. After a scoreless overtime, the teams moved to a shootout. Thomas Vanek scored in the second round, but John Mitchell answered right away in the third. Tyler Ennis would play hero, scoring the game-winning shootout goal in the fifth round. Jhonas Enroth finished with 23 saves for his first win of the season.

The Last Devils Game: The Devils were blanked by the Rangers, 3-0, Friday night at the Prudential Center. Brandon Dubinsky began the scoring, giving the Rangers a lead, 1-0, at 7:35 of the first period. Brian Boyle extended the lead, putting the Rangers ahead by two with a powerplay goal at 19:24 of the second period. Dubinsky would strike again, netting his second goal of the game with a shorthanded tally at 3:41 of the period. That put the Rangers ahead, 3-0, and ended any hope of a Devils win. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 33 shots for the shutout.

The Last Sabres - Devils Game: The Sabres blew out the Devils, 6-1, at the Prudential Center on October 23. Drew Stafford and Tyler Meyers staked the Sabres to a lead, 2-0, after the first period. The Sabres blew it open in the second period, scoring three goals and chasing starter Johan Hedberg from the game at the 8:17 mark of the period. Vanek recorded two goals in the win.

A Battle of Backups: When the Sabres and Devils square off, it's usually a battle of the great goaltenders. That's the matchup we watched in the first meeting, when Martin Brodeur out-dueled Ryan Miller. With both goalies ailing, the teams will rely on their backups to bring them a win.

Tonight's Matchup: The Devils did what we asked from them in their last game. They thoroughly outplayed the Rangers, but a few mistakes and bad bounces cost them the game. They need to replicate that same effort tonight. It should be a welcome sight that Ryan Miller won't be between the pipes Buffalo, giving the shooters more confidence, something this team desperately needs.

One of the Devils beat writers spoke at length about the power of positive thinking, especially within the Devils locker room. The team needs to keep a positive attitude throughout this entire ordeal. We've all been stuck in a rut or, in my case, played on terrible sports teams. It's difficult to not let frustration creep in and dictate the style of play, etc. If the Devils continue to create opportunities, it should pay off. But, then again, how many times have we said that this season...

I would like to see another strong start by the team today. Put shots on net, generate turnovers, and keep the pressure on Buffalo. This is a team just as fragile as the Devils right now. If the Devils can get to them early, they may cause Buffalo to let frustration set in first. That could lead to more chances, and, God willing, more goals.

Gametime is 7 p.m., and you can catch all the action on MSG Plus. Also, join us for a live game blog tonight, beginning at 6:45 p.m.! Here's tonight's potential line combinations:

 
Ilya Kovalchuk - Travis Zajac - Jamie Langenbrunner
Patrik Elias - Jason Arnott - Mattias Tedenby
Dainius Zubrus - Rod Pelley - David Clarkson
Alexander Vasuynov - Adam Mair - Stephen Gionta


Henrik Tallinder - Andy Greene
Alexander Urbom - Olivier Magnan
Matt Taormina - Anton Volchenkov


Johan Hedberg
Mike McKenna

                                                      

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (4-9-1) face off against their Atlantic Division rival the New York Rangers (6-5-1) at the Prudential Center. This is the second of six meetings this season.

The Devils Last Game: It was the last game of a west coast road trip and the Devils had to make a stop at the home of the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks. The Devils came away with a win in which the scored 5 goals (yes, I know, 2 were EN's). It was a great way to end a road trip and hopefully a way to gather a little bit of steam. Marty Brodeur did hurt his elbow in the game and was replaced by Hedberg during the game.

The Rangers Last Game: The Rangers headed to Philly to take on a hot Flyers team. The Flyers skated away with a 4-1 win, a game in which each team had just 21 shots.

The Last Devils / Rangers Game: The Blueshirts skated away with a 3-1 victory on home ice on October 24th.

Player to Watch: Brandon Dubinsky leads NY with 8 goals. He also has 12 points on the season which leads the team among players dressing tonight. (Callahan has 13 points but was injuredafter falling heavily into the boards during Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.)

Injury report: Gaborik (shoulder), Ryan Callahan (Upper Body), Chris Drury (finger) and Vinny Prospal (knee) are out for the Rangers. Parise (knee), Marty Brodeur (elbow), Colin White (Flu), Bryce Salvador (concussion), Matthew Corrente (hand), Jacob Josefson (hand), Mark Fraser (hand) and Brian Rolston (sports hernia) are out for the Devils. Get all that??!!

Random Stats: The Rangers are 2-0 in the second-half of back-to-backs this season. They beat New Jersey one night after beating Boston and shut out Toronto 2-0 last Saturday, one night after losing to Carolina. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Wednesday's game marked the first time the Devils scored two empty-net goals in the same game.

Tonight's Matchup: A win tonight for the Devils would be a huge boost in moral. The Devils have yet to string together two straight wins and have yet to give their fans a win at home this season. A win tonight would also get the Devils out of the basement in the Atlantic Division and could put them 2 points behind the Penguins, who play the Ducks tonight in Anaheim. The game plan for the Devils should follow what was done the other night in Chicago because dumping the puck seemed to work them. Whatever the method of attack is tonight, the Devils need to build some momentum off the win in Chicago. The Rangers are a good team and a win tonight would do wonders for our locker room.

There is a lot of things changing by the minute for tonights lineup but lets just take a stab at this one..

Ilya Kovalchuk - Travis Zajac - Jamie Langenbrunner
Patrik Elias - Jason Arnott - Dainius Zubrus
Brad Mills - Rod Pelley - David Clarkson
Patrick Davis - Stephen Gionta - Adam Mair

Andy Greene - Henrik Tallinder
Anton Volchenkov- Matt Taormina
Alex Urbom- Olivier Magnan-Grenier

Johan Hedberg
Jeff Frazee

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (3-9-1) face off against the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks (7-6-1) at the United Center in Chicago. It's the only meeting of the season between the two teams.

The Last Devils Game: The Devils were blanked by the Vancouver Canucks, 3-0, on Monday night at Rogers Arena. Raffi Torres put the Canucks ahead, 1-0, in the first period off of a turnover in the Devils' zone. Vancouver increased their lead to 2-0 at 1:09 of the second period as Ryan Kesler's backhanded shot beat Brodeur off yet another sloppy defensive play by the Devils. Henrik Sedin capped the scoring at 6:13 of the third period, converting on a penalty shot. Roberto Luongo made 30 saves for the win.

The Last Blackhawks Game: The New York Rangers defeated the Blackhawks, 3-2, Monday night in Madison Square Garden. Tied, 1-1, in the third period, Brandon Dubinsky converted on a powerplay opportunity to put the Rangers ahead, 2-1. Patrick Kane pulled Chicago even with an even-strength goal at 6:08 of the final frame. Only 28 seconds later, Erik Christensen scored the game-winning goal to put the Rangers ahead, 3-2.

The Last Devils - Blackhawks Game: The Blackhawks defeated the Devils, 2-1, in a shootout at the Prudential Cetner. Ilya Kovalchuk gave the Devils an early first period lead, scoring his then-40th goal of the season at 5:49 of the first period. The score stood at 1-0 until the third period, when Kris Versteeg scored with 26 seconds left in the game. Jonathan Toews scored the only goal in the shootout, giving Chicago a season sweep of the Devils.

For more information about the matchup, check this post.

Tonight's Matchup: The Devils have 70 shots over the past two games. That number is pretty impressive, considering it's coming from New Jersey. But how many goals have they scored in that time? Just one. One measly goal on 70 shots. Clearly, this team has a problem with finishing opportunities. That will only get more difficult with the loss of the team's best scorer, Zach Parise, who underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus and will miss three months. On paper, the Devils have one of the best offenses in the league. But they haven't cashed in on their potential, and the team desperately needs to start scoring goals in bunches. I've suggested everything here, from crashing the net to mixing the lines. Maybe it's just a bounce that needs to go the Devils way, but the scorers need confidence, and the Devils need to start depositing pucks in the back of the net.

Defensive miscues plagued the Devils Monday night, and that lead to their loss. The team needs to play solid defense tonight, especially because the Blackhawks are a dangerous offensive team. Even without some of their Stanley Cup heroes, the Blackhawks can put Duncan Keith, Kane, Toews and Brent Seabrook on the ice at once. It's been miscue after miscue for the Devils, but hopefully New Jersey corrects these mistakes tonight. If not, they'll be in for along game.

The road trip hasn't gone according to plan (1-4-0), but the Devils can still salvage a feel good win to end the trip. The team needs something - anything - that's positive heading into Friday's matchup against the Rangers. Hopefully, it'll be a great win to close the trip tonight.

Game-time is 8:30 p.m., and you can catch all the action on MSG Plus. Here are the potential line combinations, based off of Monday night's game:

Ilya Kovalchuk - Travis Zajac - Jamie Langenbrunner
Patrik Elias - Rod Pelley - Alexander Vasyunov
Dainius Zubrus - Jason Arnott - David Clarkson
Tim Sestito - Brad Mills - Adam Mair

Andy Greene - Matt Taormina
Colin White - Olivier Magnan-Grenier
Tyler Eckford - Henrik Tallinder

Martin Brodeur
Johan Hedberg

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (3-8-1) face off against the Vancouver Canucks (4-3-2). This will be the only meeting between the two teams this season.

The Last Devils Game: The Devils fell to the Los Angeles Kings, 3-1, Saturday night at the Staples Center. While the outcome wasn't what the Devils expected, the team received worse news than the loss. Left-winger Zach Parise left the game in the third period with a lower-body injury and flew to New Jersey on a red-eye to have the injury examined. A loss hurts, but losing Parise for an extended period of time could hurt the Devils even more.

The Last Canucks Game: The Canucks defeated the Colorado Avalanche, 4-3, in overtime on October 26 in Vancouver. With the score tied, 2-2, in the third period, the Canucks went ahead on a goal by Peter Schaefer at 4:58 of the period. Colorado came back late, with Matt Duchene tying the game with 1:30 left in the period. Mason Raymond played hero, scoring the overtime winner only 28 seconds into the extra period.

The Last Devils - Canucks Game: Vancouver defeated New Jersey, 5-2, on December 2 of last season at The Rock.·
The Canucks got out to a hot start, with·Alexandre Burrowsgiving Vancouver an early one-goal lead at 6:33 of the first period.·Sami Saloextended the lead to two goals with his even-strength tally at 10:03.·Daniel Sedin capped off a three-goal streak, scoring at 12:32 of the period.

Niclas Bergforsended the Canucks run with a goal at 16:05 of the first period.·Travis Zajac scored with six seconds left in the period, cutting the Canucks lead to 3-2.

The Canucks secured the win with two third period goals.·Alexander Edlerscored an insurance goal 1:36 into the period, and·Jannik Hansen put home the dagger at 5:18.

For a full rundown of the Devils' historical statistics against the Canucks, check out our season preview.

A Goalie Showdown? Think Again: Two of the best goalies will face off tonight, but the stats tell you not to expect a great performance on either end of the ice. In 16 career starts against the Canucks, Brodeur is 6-10-0-0 with a 2.91 goals-against average and a .878 save percentage. He's lost six of his last seven starts against Vancouver.·

Luongo hasn't fared much better. In 19 career starts against the Devils, Luongo is 6-13-0-0 with a 3.00 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.

Tonight's Matchup: For every game, we try to find something different to talk about. I apologize if we sound like a broken record here, but the Devils need to give a solid, 60-minute effort tonight. The third period of the Kings game was great, but the problem came in the second period, when the Devils slacked off and paid for it. In their three wins, the Devils played complete games. In their nine losses, they've hit a lull. Most teams do that, but the difference is that the Devils' lulls cost them goals and wins.·

Vancouver hasn't played in almost a week, and while they'll be fresh, their game may be rusty. The Devils need to take it to them early. Force turnovers, put pressure on Luongo, and maybe get something to happen. It's been five games since the Devils scored the first goal of a game. The Devils should have the opportunity to do something positive early.

In order to take the lead, the Devils need to finish their shots around the net. A frustrated Ilya Kovalchuk described the situation perfectly.

"Who cares how many shots we put on net?" ·Kovalchuk asked after Saturday’s loss. "It's only one goal, and you're not going to win a lot of games with one goal. We have to find a way to be better."

If the Devils are going to win tonight, they're going to need some goals. They've historically done well against Luongo, but he's one of the best goalies in the league. The Devils need to pressure him early and often. He's uncomfortable with teams crashing the net, so the Devils big forwards (Dainius Zubrus, Jason Arnott, David Clarkson) need to crash the net and make Luongo uncomfortable.

Game time is 10 p.m., and you can catch all the action on MSG Plus. Here's tonight's line combinations, based on Saturday night's combinations.

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Jamie Langenbrunner

Ilya Kovalchuk - Patrik Elias - Alexander Vasyunov

Dainius Zubrus - Jason Arnott - David Clarkson

Rod Pelley - Brad Mills - Adam Mair

Henrik Tallinder - Andy Greene

Colin White - Olivier Magnan-Grenier

Matt Taormina - Tyler Eckford

Martin Brodeur

Johan Hedberg

Johnny Oduya scored the first goal of the game, lighting the lamp at 4:45 of the first period to put the Devils ahead, 1-0. Travis Zajac scored at 5:56 of the second period to extend the Devils lead to 2-0, but the Kings wouldn’t go quietly into the night.

Michal Handzus cut the lead in half with his goal at 19:31 of the second period. Simmonds pulled the Kings even at 18:19 of the third period. With under a minute left, and Andy Greene in the box for tripping, Drew Doughty fired home a point shot for the game-winning powerplay goal.

For a complete look at the Devils' complete numbers against the Kings, check out this season preview post.

For the rest of the preview, read after the jump!

The Last Devils Game: The San Jose Sharks defeated the Devils, 5-2, on Wednesday night at the HP Pavilion. The Sharks top line of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley combine for 13 points in the win. Thorton recorded a hat trick in the victory.

The Last Ducks Game: The Ducks defeated the Dallas Stars, 5-2, Tuesday night in Dallas. Dallas scored early, ending the first period with a 1-0 lead. Bobby Ryan would bring Anaheim back, scoring two straight goals to put the Ducks ahead, 2-1. In the third period, Teemu Selanne scored his 611th career goal, putting him in sole possession of 15th place on the career scoring list.

The Last Devils - Ducks Game: The Devils defeated the Ducks, 3-1, last season. Jamie Langenbrunner began the scoring 38 seconds into the game, giving the Devils an early 1-0 lead. The score stayed that way until the third period, when Corey Perry scored at 2:25 to tie the game at one. David Clarkson netted the game-winning goal at 12:52 of the period, and Zach Parise added an insurance goal, scoring on shorthanded opportunity with 13 second left in the game.

For full details about the matchup, including historical data, etc., check our post here.

Tonight's Matchup: I think the Devils need to enter this game with the mindset that it's a new season and new opportunity to begin fresh. As I discussed in a post yesterday, most coaches break the NHL season down into 10 game increments and judge the team's performance, etc. on that block. We all know the Devils first ten games were abysmal. The team was inconsistent, lackluster, and terrible defensively.

But it's a new block of games, and hopefully a fresh start for the Devils. The team needs to play better, plain and simple, and the only way that can happen is with a renewed focus on defense. Anaheim hasn't been great, but they'll be playing on home ice after a four game road trip. The Devils need to open the game with their best effort and carry it throughout. The team looked good for the first 10 minutes against San Jose, but the wheels fell off. If they can maintain consistent effort, the Devils will keep themselves in the game.

Something needs to break soon. The players are frustrated, coach John MacLean is frustrated, and the fanbase is echoing their feelings. It would be great to see the team finally break out tonight.

For the opponent's take on the game, check out On The Duck Pond.

Gametime is 10 p.m., and you can catch all the action on MSG Plus or WFAN 660.

Here are the potential line combinations for tonight's game:

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Dainius Zubrus

Patrik Elias - Jason Arnott - David Clarkson

Ilya Kovalchuk - Rod Pelley - Jamie Langenbrunner

Anton Vasyunov - Tim Sestito - Adam Mair

Colin White - Matt Taormina

Andy Greene - Olivier Magnan - Grenier

Colin White - Tyler Eckford

Martin Brodeur

Johan Hedberg

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (2-6-1) head to the west coast to visit the San Jose Sharks (3-3-1). This is the first of two meetings this season.

The Last Devils Game: The Devils lost 3-1  to the Rangers on Sunday night. Kovalchuk scored the only goal for New Jersey.

The Last Sharks Game: The Sharks lost to the Calgary Flames on Sunday night by a score of 4-0. All the action happened in the first period as the Flames beat Antti Niemi 3 times on 5 shots before he took a seat on the bench. It was the third game of a 3-game road trip for SJ, who ended the trip with a 2-1 record.

The Last Devils / Sharks Game: Ilya Kovalchuk and Travis Zajac each had a goal and an assist as the Devils held on for a 4-3 win in the most recent matchup, March 2 at HP Pavilion. Devin Setoguchi scored a pair of third-period goals to help rally the Sharks but ultimately fell short.

Tonight’s Matchup: The big story going into tonight's matchup is that neither team has won a game on home ice this season, which should benefit the Devils tonight. However, nothing has gone as planned for NJ, which currently owns the NHL's worst percentage of points to games played. NJ is 2-2-0 away from The Rock this season. The Devils offense is struggling, which is currently ranked last in the NHL and coming off a weekend where they only managed to score 1 goal in each game. Zubrus has been one of the few players on a hot streak and hopes to continue his hot streak tonight. He has 1 goal and 4 assists in the last 4 games.

The Devils are averaging 1.67 goals per game and have scored two or fewer in seven of their first nine. The Sharks have the NHL's second-best power play, which is scoring at a success rate of 31.4 percent. What's that mean? Stay out of the box!!

The Broadcast: 10:30pm TV - MSG+(HD); Radio - 660 AM WFAN

As for the lines, its anyones guess but I will go with what went on during Sunday's game in NY.

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Dainius Zubrus

Patrik Elias - Jason Arnott - David Clarkson

Jamie Langenbrunner - Jacob Josefson - Ilya Kovalchuk

Adam Mair - Tim Sestito - Rod Pelley

Andy Greene - Olivier Magnan-Grenier

Colin White - Matt Taormina

Henrik Tallinder - Matt Corrente

Martin Brodeur

Johan Hedberg

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (2-5-1) go across the river to face off against their hated rivals, the New York Rangers (3-2-1). This is the first of six meetings this season.

The Last Devils Game: The Devils were thrashed by the Sabres, 6-1, last night at home. I’m still peeved about the loss, but here’s three things to note:

1. The Devils looked terrible in their own zone.

2. Johan Hedberg wasn’t given any support.

3. The team played lackluster and, frankly, worse than an AHL team.

The Last Rangers Game: The Rangers defeated the Boston Bruins, 3-2, last night in Boston. The Rangers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Artem Anisimov and Alex Frolov. Zdeno Chara cut the lead to 2-1 with a powerplay tally at 19:55 of the period. The Rangers extended their lead in the second period, with Marc Staal giving the Blueshirts a 3-1 lead. Nathan Horton continued his hot start, pulling the Bruins to within a goal at 12:27 of the period. The Rangers would blank the Bruins in the third for their second straight win.

The Last Devils – Rangers Game: The Rangers defeated the Devils, 4-3, in a shootout during a late season meeting last year. The Devils once again scored first, with Ilya Kovalchuk giving New Jersey an early 1-0 lead. Brandon Dubinsky tied the game with a powerplay goal in the second period, tying the game at one. The third period followed the same script as the fourth game, with the Devils wasting leads. Patrik Elias put the Devils ahead, 2-1, early in the third period. Anisimov tied the game at 9:40 of the second period, and the scoring gates were opened. Jamie Langenbrunner gave the Devils a 3-2 lead at 12:37 of the period, but the Rangers answered that tally with one of their own. With their net open, Chris Drury scored at 19:43 to tie the game and send it to overtime. The teams remained scoreless through the extra period, and Erik Christensen was the only player to score in the shootout. (For a full recap, click here.)

For a full recap of the historical rivalry, check our preview here. Make sure you follow the jump for the analysis of tonight's matchup.

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The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (1-4-1) face off against the Montreal Canadiens (3-1-1) at the Bell Centre in Montreal. This is the first meeting between the teams this season.

The Last Devils Game: The Devils lost to the Boston Bruins, 4-1, Saturday at the Prudential Center. After a scoreless first period, Dainius Zubrus opened the scoring, giving the Devils a 1-0 lead at 3:45 of the second period. But that would be all the Devils would get, as Boston came roaring back to put the game away. Jordan Caron scored at 5:38 to tie the game at 1-1. Michael Ryder scored the eventual game-winning goal, connecting off a feed from Tyler Seguin to put the Bruins ahead, 2-1. Shawn Thornton increased the lead to 3-1 at 16:43 of the second. Milan Lucic capped the four-goal outburst, scoring at 18:09 to put the Bruins ahead, 4-1. Tim Thomas finished with 31 saves for the win. Martin Brodeur stopped 31 shots in the loss.

The Last Canadiens Game: The Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators, 4-3, Sunday at the Bell Centre. Trailing 3-1 in the second period, the Canadiens scored four straight goals to take the lead. Jeff Halpern began the comeback, netting his second goal at 13:39 of the second period. Andrei Kostitsyn tied the game, 3-3, at 17:29 of the second. Tomas Plekanec played hero, scoring the game-winner at 16:01 of the third period.

The Last Devils - Canadiens Game: The Devils won the final game of the series last season, 4-2, on March 27. Patrik Elias struck first for the Devils, giving the team a 1-0 lead with a powerplay goal at 8:11 of the first period. The teams traded goals in the second period, with the Devils holding a 3-2 advantage at the end of the second period. Brian Rolston added an empty-net goal in the third period to clinch the win.

Last season, the Devils won three of four from the Montreal Canadiens. For a full analysis of the historical matchup between the two teams, click here.
Welcome Home Marty! Brodeur makes his 60th career start against the Canadiens tonight, his most against a non-Atlantic Division opponent. In 30 appearances at Montreal, Broduer is 17-12-1 with a 1.80 goals against average, a .935 save percentage and four shutouts. In his career, Brodeur is 38-16-5 against the Habs, with a 1.78 GAA and eight shutouts. Brodeur admitted yesterday that he hasn't been sharp to begin the season, but these meetings always seem to bring out the best in the veteran netminder.

Tonight's Matchup: The Devils took three days to practice, and coach John MacLean put the team to work. They skated hard, practiced game situations and made significant moves throughout the lineup. But captain Jamie Langenbrunner said the positives from practice mean nothing if they don't translate to a win.
"It depends on how we come out of it," Langenbrunner said to Tom Gulitti. "We did have a good week of practice where we got the battle and work back in our game, but it’s how we respond on the ice tomorrow night for 60 minutes that counts. No one gives you any points for a practice."
The Devils couldn't be walking into a better situation to earn their second win of the season. Despite Montreal's early success, New Jersey has always played them well, especially in their own building. The Devils are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games at the Bell Centre, and the team holds an overall record of 22-23-4 all time in Montreal. An almost .500 record against a team in their own building is respectable.

One thing New Jersey will have to do is meet the energy and pressure from the Canadiens. The Bell Centre will be loud, and the building will be a sellout. The Devils will need to respond to that energy and attempt to silence the crowd early. With some solid scoring and surprising play from Carey Price, the Canadiens won't be a cakewalk. But the Devils, with four days to prepare, should be able to handle them in Montreal.

Game time is 7:30 p.m., and you can catch all the action on MSG Plus or WFAN 660. Remember to come back to Running With The Devils for our live chat, beginning at 7:15 pm!
Here are tonight's starting lines, based off of the Devils' pairings from practice yesterday:

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Dainius Zubrus
Patrik Elias - Jacob Josefson - Ilya Kovalchuk
Rod Pelley - Jason Arnott - Jamie Langenbrunner
Adam Mair - Tim Sestito - David Clarkson

Henrik Tallinder - Matt Corrente
Matt Taormina - Colin White
Andy Greene - Olivier Magnan-Grenier

Martin Brodeur
Johan Hedberg