DEVILS (7-6-2) vs CAPITALS (10-5-4)
TV: MSG+ at 1 PM ET
Head-to-Head:
This will be the second of eight meetings between the Devils and Capitals this season. The only other meeting was this past Sunday, when the Caps won 4-3 in Washington.
Andreas Johnsson had a goal and an assist in that game while Kyle Palmieri had a pair of assists. TJ Oshie had two goals and three points to pace the Capitals.
Devils Team Scope:
The Devils snapped a three-game losing streak on Thursday with a 4-3 overtime win over the Sabres.
Since returning from their two-week pause, the Devils now have three wins and three losses.
Pavel Zacha has seven points in his last five games and 10 points during an eight-game scoring streak (three goals, seven assists). He now leads the Devils in scoring with 12 points on the season.
Capitals Team Scope:
The Caps opened the season picking up a point in nine straight games but in their last 10, they've come back down to earth a little at 4-5-1.
They remain tied with Boston for top spot in the East Division, one point ahead of the Islanders.
Nicklas Backstrom leads the Caps with 24 points which ranks him first among all skaters in the East Division and seventh in the NHL.
By the Numbers:
The Caps have had a home heavy schedule to this point in the season, with 12 games at home and seven on the road so far. They are 7-3-2 at home and 3-2-2 on the road.
New Jersey's power play is 15.9%, tied for 22nd in the NHL while their penalty kill is 58.3%, last in the league. Washington's power play is third in the league at 32.0% and the Caps PK is 16th at 79.7%.
Injury Update:
Devils: None to report.
Capitals: Michal Kempny (achilles) is out; Beck Malenstyn (achilles) is out; Alex Ovechkin had a maintenance day on Friday and is questionable.
