Devils Visit Nation's Capital | PREVIEW

New Jersey visits the Canadian Capital to take on the Ottawa Senators. Puck drop is 7:08 p.m. ET. 

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

Read below for your game preview and pre-game story below, presented by Eleven Sports Media.

PRE-GAME STORY

KANATA, Ont. - The Devils held an optional morning skate. Twelve players took part: Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, Alexander Holtz, Brian Halonen, Chris Tierney, Kurtis MacDermid, Curtis Lazar, Ondrej Palat, Kevin Bahl, Nick DeSimone, Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen.

Lineup

Devils defenseman John Marino will not play tonight for the team and he’s questionable for Sunday night’s game against Nashville.

Goaltender Jake Allen will be starting.

Forward Nolan Foote continues to work with the team but isn’t yet available for a game.

Forecheck

The Devils played the Senators two weeks ago in New Jersey, with Ottawa earning a 5-2 victory. One area in which New Jersey struggled during that game was in handling the Senators’ forecheck.

“Winning the territorial game is a big part of tonight’s game,” interim head coach Travis Green said. “The team that spends the most time in the other team’s zone will have the majority of scoring chances. That starts with your forecheck, that starts with your breakouts and how you play with the puck in the middle of the rink.”

Improvements

Green has been at the helm as interim head coach for the past 15 games. During that time, he’s preached certain details and aspects of the game that he’s wanted to see from his club.

“There’s been a lot of things that we’ve been throwing at the group,” Green said. “Your forecheck, your breakouts, how you check through the neutral zone. How you score in the NHL, how you create offense. At this time of year, how you execute details and little parts of your game, they add up over the course of the game. A simple puck battle inside your own blue line will determine whether you getting a scoring chance or the other team getting a score chance.

“I think our guys are grasping it. We’ve had some strong parts of some games, especially these last three games. We have to do it for 60 minutes.”

PREVIEW

DEVILS (36-36-4) vs. SENATORS (33-38-4)

Head-to-Head

The Devils and Senators meet for the third and final time this season. Ottawa won the previous two matchups, 5-2 in New Jersey on March 23 and 6-2 in Ottawa on Dec. 29.

Jesper Bratt leads all players in series scoring with two goals and five points. Luke Hughes and Jack Hughes both have one goal and three points against Ottawa. Brady Tkachuk leads Ottawa with three assists against the Devils while Drake Batherson has two goals.

Devils Team Scope:

With six games remaining in the regular season and the playoffs a more and more distant option, the Devils will focus on finishing out the 2023-24 season strong. The Devils are looking to snap a three-game losing streak heading into Ottawa.

Jesper Bratt leads the Devils in scoring with 76 points in 76 games. He has 25 goals and 51 assists. He’s followed by Jack Hughes, who has 72 points in 60 games. Hughes has 26 goals to pace the club. Bratt, Nico Hischier and Timo Meier all have 25 goals each on the year. Rookie defenseman Luke Hughes paces the blue line with nine goals and 43 points. Goalie Jake Allen has started eight of the past 10 games for the Devils. He is 4-4-0 in those contests.

Senators Team Scope:

The Senators enter tonight’s game with the second-worst (tied) record in the Eastern Conference. The club is currently five games under .500 at 33-38-4.

The team made a coaching change mid-season and brought in interim head coach Jacques Martin for another stint in Ottawa. The Senators had won four straight, which included a win against New Jersey, before dropping their past two games.

Tim Stutzle leads the team in scoring with 70 points. He also has 52 assists on the year. Brady Tkachuk has a team-best 33 goals for 66 poitns. Drake Batherson (27) and Claude Giroux (20) have also eclipsed the 20-goal mark.

By the Numbers:

New Jersey recorded 86 PIM in the first period at NY Rangers Wednesday, which marked the most PIM in a single period in team history since 1982-83 (prior: 81 PIM, third period at WSH, Oct. 8, 1993, 6-3, W). The most PIM in a single period for franchise history was 111, which Colorado logged in first period on Nov. 6 1980, in a 3-3 tie vs Hartford.

The Devils face Ottawa on the first half of back-to-back games. It's the 16th and final set for the team, which has gone 14-15-1 in previous back-to-back games.

\Injuries: \

Devils

Hamilton (torn pectoral muscle, LTIR)
Bastian (lower-body, IR)
Foote (undisclosed, out)

Senators

Crookshan (lower-body, IR)
Highmore (upper-body, IR)
MacEwan (upper-body, IR)
Norris (shoulder, IR)
Hamonic (lower-body, day-to-day)
Chabot (lower-body, day-to-day)