NEW JERSEY DEVILS (12-7-2) vs. CAROLINA HURRICANES (14-4-0)

New Jersey hosts the Carolina Hurricanes in a big divisional matchup. The Hurricanes are on the second half of a back-to-back, winning their game against the Flyers, 4-1, on Wednesday night.

You can watch on MSGSN or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

Read below for your game preview and pre-game story below. Tonight's game is presented by Complete Mechanical Solutions.

MORNING SKATE RECAP

NEWARK, NJ - After four straight days without a game, the Devils are back to work. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom will play his 500th NHL game as New Jersey hosts the Carolina Hurricanes.

The veteran netminder, who has played parts of 15 seasons in the league, is the 81st netminder to reach this mark in NHL history. Although this is Markstrom's first season in New Jersey, he's had a huge impact on this team just 21 games in.

“First of all he hasn’t been here for a long time but I think the impact he’s made so far here, as a guy, as a goaltender, it’s been unbelievable,” Siegenthaler shared about Markstrom. “He’s such a great guy. He fits pretty well with this group of guys. He brings a lot to the table. When we need him, he’s there and he shows up. Playing his 500th NHL game tonight is a big milestone. I don’t think a lot of goalies have achieved that milestone so it’s going to be a very special night for him. It’s cool that we get to share this moment with him as a team and we’re all excited for him, and happy for him.”

“He’s meant a lot,” Meier shared pre-game. “Not just on the ice, but off the ice as well. We’re so happy for him that he gets to reach this milestone tonight. I think he has a bunch of family coming in too, so it’s very special. For all the guys, we’ve only played with him this year, but he already means a lot to us and we love playing in front of him. He’s an absolute great guy so well deserved.”

This moment will be full circle for Markstrom who played his first NHL game at Prudential Center on Jan. 23, 2011 as a member of the Florida Panthers.

Facing the Storm

The Hurricanes are the top-team in the Eastern Conference for good reason. Carolina pressures its opponents while bringing speed and skill to take control of games.

“They play a very simple, fast game, and they work hard,” Meier said on Carolina. “Everywhere on the ice you’re going to get pressured. You got to be ready for a game like that against a team like that. You have to be ready physically, mentally, you got to be sharp so the details are going to be really important. And the battles, you’re not going to have a lot of time because they pressure and work hard. It’s going to be on us to solve those problems and those competitions they’re going to have all over the ice.”

Keeping things simple and making the right decisions with the puck, especially through the neutral zone, will help the Devils push back against their opponent's pressure.

“It’s going to be a big key,” Siegenthaler explained. “We went over it this morning. We want to get out as quick as possible. It doesn’t have to be pretty all the time but all that matters is getting out of the d-zone, get through the neutral zone, and go on the attack. I think that should be our main focus tonight, just take care of the puck, don’t throw it away, or panic. They’re very good at forechecking and putting pressure on us, but I think if we stay poised and play our game, and play the game we went over this morning, it should work out. It’s all mindset how we go into this game today. We just have to go out there and execute and play our game.”

Head coach Sheldon Keefe discussed how best to get through the neutral zone against the Hurricanes.

“If you don’t solve some problems that they present with how tight they are on top of you, and how they clog the neutral zone, if you’re not able to solve that it can be greatly problematic,” Keefe shared on Carolina. “There is some simplicity and speed required to help us to get our game up and going, but there will also be times we got to use our skill and intelligence to manage the puck well and find our way through some pressure.”

4th Line Swap

Shane Bowers, who was recalled from the Utica Comets on Nov. 18, will play on the Devils fourth line, slotting in on the left wing. He joins Justin Dowling and Tomas Tatar.

Keefe discussed what impact he expects from Bowers in his first game with the Devils this season.

“Speed, energy, versatility,” Keefe said. “Defensive utility. We expect it to be a fast paced game here so his legs can help us.”

Outside of the fourth line switch, the Devils are rolling with the same lines they've used in previous games, listed below:

THE SCOOP

The Devils have taken advantage of their four days off from gameplay with a couple of off days and two hard-working practices. The team is back home after a 2-1-0 trip to Florida, where they twice beat the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers.

Joining into the fold as they resume their schedule are Nolan Foote and Shane Bowers, both were recalled at the beginning of the week, while Justin Dowling and Nick DeSimone also remain with the club. The additions to the roster will give Sheldon Keefe and his staff the ability to change up their lineup as they see fit, having not had any extra forwards on their recent trip South. At practice on Wednesday Bowers skated alongside Dowling and Tomas Tatar, while Kurtis MacDermid, who had been in that left-wing spot, skated on an extra defensive pairing with DeSimone.

This will be the first time Brett Pesce, who spent the first 10 years of his career in Carolina, will face off against his former club. Pesce had not yet made his season debut the last time the two clubs met, in Carolina, in mid-October.

Jacob Markstrom is sitting on career game 499 and could see the net on Thursday, marking a major milestone in the Swedish netminder's career.

The Hurricanes sit two points ahead of the Devils after their Wednesday night victory in Philadelphia. Carolina scored three goals in five minutes in the third period to break a 1-1 tie and take a 4-1 lead. Perhaps surprisingly, Martin Necas did not register a point, which ended a run of 13 straight games where the Canes forward found his name on the scoresheet. Necas was on the verge of tying the Canes' longest-point streak in franchise history but missed the mark by one game. Now-Devil, former Cane Dougie Hamilton is tied for the longest streak at 14 games with Sebastian Aho.

WHO’S HOT

Devils: The Devils have been spreading the wealth lately. Nico Hischier earned his third three-point game (0g-3a) of the season on Nov. 14 vs Florida and owns four assists in the team’s last three games. Jack Hughes has seven points in the past five games (3g-4a), while Jesper Bratt is the owner of the Devils most recent hat trick, scored in Florida against the Panthers on Nov. 14.

Hurricanes: It's all about Martin Necas for the Carolina Hurricanes. He leads their team in every statistical scoring category with 11 goals, 19 assists, and 30 points. In his past five games, he's picked up nine points, a combination of four goals and five assists.

INJURIES

Devils: Bastian (jaw, IR), Lazar (knee, IR), Hatakka (shoulder, out indefinitely)

Hurricanes: Jarvis (upper-body, IR), Andersen (lower-body, out), Fast (neck, IR)

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

• Oct. 15: Hurricanes 4, Devils 2
• Nov. 20 vs. Carolina
• Dec. 27 vs. Carolina
• Dec. 28 at Carolina

GAME NOTES

• Nico Hischier is averaging 20:22 TOI/GP, while his career-high for a single season is 19:29 ATOI
• Jack Hughes earned career-point 300 on Nov. 12 in Florida. Hughes now has 303 points in 327 games.
• Hughes’ three-point game (3a) in Florida on Nov. 14 was his 30th career game with three or more points to pass Aaron Broten for fifth place all-time in franchise history. His next three-point (or more) game would tie him with Scott Gomez (31) for fourth place, all-time.
• Carolina has conceded the third-fewest goals this season, league-wide, giving up 42 goals in their 18 games played.