To kick off a weekend back-to-back, the Devils are hosting the Carolina Hurricanes for a matinee at Prudential Center.
You can watch the game on MSG or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS

GAME DAY VIDEO
DEVILS MINUTE: Sam Kasan's Pre-Game Report
Head Coach Lindy Ruff
BY THE NUMBERS
Stats Comparison: Devils vs Hurricanes
Media Game Notes: Devils vs Hurricanes
Head to Head: Devils vs Hurricanes
Devils Player Statistics
Hurricanes Player Statistics
NHL Standings
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TV & RADIO
You can watch the game on MSG.
You can listen to the game on the Devils Hockey Network.

INSIDE THE DEVILS

The Devils practiced before the start of their homestand.
>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE DEVILS BLOG

PRE-GAME STORY

NEWARK, N.J. -Coming off a tough loss at home to the Sabres, which was on the heels of a very successful road trip, the Devils have two more at home this weekend to try and gain some momentum at Prudential Center.
It will be a tough task this afternoon as the Carolina Hurricanes come to town. The Canes have 50 wins on the season and are gearing up for the playoffs. Devils head coach Lindy Ruff likened today's matchup to some key games on the road trip which had the Devils become a big factor in some Western Conference playoff races.
"I said before we left on the road, I wanted to know the other team understands that they're going to be in a game. I expect that today. We're competing on all pucks physically, we're engaged in the game and we're playing hard," stated Ruff, adding that the Hurricanes are as deep as any team in the NHL.
"Their back end gets heavily involved. Four lines that can score. Strong lines. We've played a couple good games against them. A tight game we lost but were able to score with a different lineup than we have (today)."
FOOTE TO PLAY
The club has an undisclosed illness which means that recently recalled forward Nolan Foote will play for the first time since January. His only two games this season game both against the Columbus Blue Jackets on January 6 and 8.
"We've got one player that's sick so he is going to play," Ruff said of Foote. "I think he's had a learning year down there. Sometimes you come out of junior and can expect to be this type of player but he's learned you have to be an all-around player and play in all three zones. Sometimes you have to change your play to be successful."
Foote has had 14 goals and 32 points in 55 games with the AHL's Utica Comets along with a +15 rating which is tied for third on the team.
POWERLESS PLAY
Another storyline heading into the game today is the Devils looking to score on the power play for the first time in 12 games.
"I'd like to see us finish some of our opportunities," said Ruff. "Our entry was great (last game), our structure inside the zone, we generated the opportunities. I want to see us finish."
In the last 11 games, the Devils have not scored a power play goal, resulting in an 0-for-29 stretch. As a result, the team's overall power play has slipped to 28th in the NHL at 15.8%.
"If you move it quick enough, you can expose that low ice, two-on-one. We have to be able to move it quickly and know where our outs are at."

PREVIEW

DEVILS (27-43-7) vs CAROLINA HURRICANES (50-20-8)
TV: 12:30 p.m. ET; Televised on MSG
RADIO: 12:30 p.m. ET; Broadcast on Devils Hockey Network
Head-to-Head:
This is the third of four meetings between the Devils and Hurricanes with the final game on Apr. 28 in North Carolina. So far the series is split with each team picking up a home win. The Devils won the first meeting on Jan 22, 7-4. A week later, the Hurricanes won 2-1.
Devils Team Scope:
After a successful road trip going 3-1-1 against some top teams, the Devils fell 5-2 to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. Before the game, Devils head coach Lindy Ruff was concerned about the level of energy his team could bring after a grueling travel schedule from the 12 day trip. The Devils started the game strong but missed opportunities and poor puck management, paired with three second-period goals against, led to New Jersey's loss.
The Devils kick off a weekend back-to-back against the Hurricanes before hosting the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday. New Jersey will look to snap a five-game skid at home, with the team's last home win on Mar 27, a 3-2 SO victory over the Canadiens.
There are several notable Devils players out due to injury including leading goal scorer Jack Hughes, defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, and forward Miles Wood. Forward Jimmy Vesey, who has been a big part of the Devils penalty kill, is making progress with his lower body injury, but is also unavailable to play.
Forward Jesper Bratt continues to lead the Devils in assists (45) and points (70); however, another Jesper has stepped up recently, riding a three-game goal streak. Jesper Boqvist, who is in his third NHL season, has 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points this season, which are career highs all around. The young forward has four goals in his last five games, including the game winner against the Vegas Golden Knights on Apr. 18.
The Devils recently reassigned goaltender Nico Daws to the Utica Comets as the franchise's AHL team ramps up for the playoffs, after starting the rookie the majority of games over the last few months. In the Devils game against the Sabres, New Jersey turned to Andrew Hammond to start. Hammond has played five games for the Devils this season after being acquired at the trade deadline. Mackenzie Blackwood, who hasn't played since mid-January, is still looking to return this season, and has made progress with his lower body injury.
Hurricanes Team Scope:
With 108 points, Carolina is at the top of the metropolitan division and second in the eastern conference. Recently, the team has gone 5-5-0 in its last ten games; however, Carolina is riding a two-game win streak with victories over the Winnipeg Jets and Arizona Coyotes. Today's game is the first of three straight on the road for Carolina with stops against the Islanders on Sunday and the Rangers on Tuesday before heading home to host the Devils in the Hurricanes final game of the regular season.
Sebastian Aho leads the team in goals, 36, assists, 42, and points, 78 through 75 games played. Andrei Svechnikov is second in goals, 30, and points, 68; while Teuvo Teravainen is tied for first with 42 assists. Over the last five games, Jordan Staal leads the Canes with 4 goals, and Brady Skjei leads Carolina with 5 assists.
Carolina's special teams are a bright spot for the club with both the power play and penalty kill ranking in the top-10. The Hurricanes penalty kill is first in the league with a success rate of 88.3% while the power play scores 22.3% of the time on the man advantage which is 10th overall. Carolina has the lowest goals against average in the league (2.44 GA/GP).
The Hurricanes have a goaltender tandem of Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta. Andersen has 51 starts this season with a 35-14-3 record, where he averages 2.17 goals against a game and boasts a .922 save percentage. Rant has a 14-5-4 record through his 24 starts and has a .912 save percentage and 2.44 goals against average.
By the Numbers:
The Devils haven't capitalized in 11 straight games on the power play - going 0/29 during that time span. In New Jersey's most recent game against the Sabres, the team went 0/4. The last time New Jersey experienced over nine games without a power play goal was between Nov. 29 to Dec. 23, 2022 when the Devils went 0/36 through 13 games.
Devils defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk scored his first NHL goal in his NHL debut on Thursday and became the 21st rookie in franchise history to do so. The last player to score in their debut for the Devils was also a defenseman, Ty Smith, on Jan. 14, 2021.
Injury Updates:
Devils
Bernier (IR, lower body)
Blackwood (IR, lower body)
Vesey (lower body)
Wood (lower body, out for rest of season)
Siegenthaler (upper body, out for rest of season)
Hughes (lower body, out for rest of season)
Canes
Andersen (lower body)
Kotkaniemi (lower body)