Devils Set to Face Kraken | PREVIEW

NEW JERSEY DEVILS (17-9-2) vs. SEATTLE KRAKEN (13-13-1)

New Jersey hosts the Seattle Kraken Friday night at Prudential Center. Puck drop is 7 p.m. ET.

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 Nuva Smile.

MORNING SKATE RECAP

NEWARK, NJ - The Devils held an optional morning skate Friday at Prudential Center ahead of facing the Seattle Kraken.

Forwards Jack Hughes and Tomas Tatar were on the ice for the Devils. Hughes did not practice Thursday due to a maintenance day, while Tatar has missed the past two games with a lower-body injury.

Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said that Tatar and Erik Haula, who missed Thursday’s practice as well, will be in the lineup tonight against the Kraken.

“Haula hasn’t missed any time in games. Tatar it’s nice to get him back,” Keefe said.

"I feel great. Everything is fine now," Tatar said. "I'm happy to be back and help the team."

Other players that took part in the optional skate were forwards Jesper Bratt, Justin Dowling, Nathan Legare, Nathan Bastian and Kurtis MacDermid, defenseman Nick DeSimone and goaltender Jake Allen.

Goaltender Jacob Markstrom will start in goal.

Milestone

The Devils will have two big milestones tonight for players. Bratt will be playing in his 500^th career game and defenseman Dougie Hamilton will be appearing in his 800^th career contest.

“I think that’s a lot of games. I’ve missed a lot but fortunate to play a lot,” Hamilton said. “I don’t really think about it too much. It’s another reminder that I played a lot of games and the ability to live my dream for so long.”

For Bratt, he was one of the players that Keefe pointed to early in his Devils tenure that really stood out to him.

“How he goes about his business in terms of being prepared everyday. The extra work that he does off the ice. He’s a very diligent professional. He takes his job very seriously. He’s doing everything he can to be prepared on a daily basis. I’m very impressed with his overall approach to the game.

Back to the Start

The Devils will host a Kraken team that has jumped out to early leads in their past two games against Carolina and the NY Islanders, both of which resulted in wins.

“They’re confident. They get on top of you quickly. They’ve started quick in games and have taken control and haven’t looked back,” Keefe said. “They’re going to look to establish their game. That’s going to be an additional challenge for us, a group that’s trying to do that ourselves.”

The Devils themselves have been making the start of games a point of emphasis lately.

“When I say early I’m talking about the first 10 minutes,” Keefe said. “The first 10 minutes for us we’d like to do a better job of being in control and taking command of games. Our game in New York was a good example of that our last time out.”

THE SCOOP

The Devils continue to battle for the top spot in the Metro Division. New Jersey is tied with Washington for the top position with 36 points, but the Capitals have three games in hand on the Devils.

The Devils are coming off a big win Monday night against their biggest rival, the New York Rangers, at Madison Square Garden. New Jersey netted a 5-1 victory with four points from Jesper Bratt (1g-3a) and three from Jack Hughes (2g-1a). Goaltender Jacob Markstrom had arguably his best game of the season after stopping 38 of 39 shots.

Forwards Tomas Tatar missed the past two games with a lower-body injury. He practiced on Thursday and could return to the lineup. Forward Erik Haula missed Tuesday’s practice but returned to the ice Thursday. Head coach Sheldon Keefe is optimistic both will be available against Seattle.

Bratt leads the Devils with 35 points, which ranks tied for 6^th most in the NHL. Bratt’s team-leading 23 assists are tied for 7^th most in the league. Captain Nico Hischier paces the Devils with 15 goals, tied for 7^th most in the league. Defenseman Dougie Hamilton’s offense has heated up. Hamilton’s 21 points rank 8^th among NHL blueliners. He has four points (2g-2a) in his last three games.

Seattle is battling for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The club has 27 points (13-13-1) through 27 games on the year. They are within three points of Edmonton for the final Wild Card spot.

The Kraken will face the Devils on the second half of back-to-back games, having bested the New York Islanders on Long Island, 5-2, Thursday night. The club had five different goal scorers while defenseman Adam Larsson has three assists and a plus-3 in the contest.

The Kraken rank 19^th in the NHL in scoring. Forward Jared McCann leads the club with 10 goals and 23 points. Blueliner Vince Dunn has returned to the lineup after missing 20 games with a mid-body injury. The team dearly missed his presence. He already has four points (1g-3a) in three games since returning. The Devils will likely see Philipp Grubauer in net. He’s struggled this season for the Kraken while handling the backup duties.

WHO’S HOT

Devils: Center Jack Hughes, recently named to Team USA for the 4 Nations tournament, has eight points (3g-5a) in the past three games. That includes two three-point games.

Kraken: Defenseman Vince Dunn posted three points (1g-2a) and a plus-2 against the NY Islanders Thursday night. He now has seven points (2g-5a) in seven games played this season.

INJURIES

Devils: Tatar (lower-body, day-to-day), Bastian (jaw, IR), Lazar (knee, IR), Hatakka (shoulder)

Kraken: Eberle (pelvis, IR)

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

• Dec. 5 vs. Seattle
• Jan. 6 at Seattle

GAME NOTES

• Four Devils players were named to the 4 Nations Face-Off in February: Erik Haula (Finland), Jack Hughes (USA), Jesper Bratt (Sweden) and Jacob Markstrom (Sweden)

• The Devils have scored 14 power-play goal in the past nine games, that includes five games with multiple man-advantage tallies.

• Jesper Bratt will be playing in his 500th career game.
• Dougie Hamilton will be playing in his 800th career game.