Kings at Devils preview

KINGS (21-27-4) AT DEVILS (20-24-7)
7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, MSG+, FS-W, NHL.TV

The 35-year-old forward played four seasons for the Devils and had 201 points (89 goals, 112 assists) in 222 games, and helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2012. He retired from the NHL on July 11, 2013, and after five seasons with SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League, he signed a three-year, $18.75 million contract with the Kings on July 1.
Devils forward Travis Zajac will play after missing a 3-2 overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Saturday with an undisclosed injury. The Devils look to win back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 12-14.

Players to watch

Kings forward Anze Kopitar has six points (three goals, three assists) during a four-game point streak.
Devils forward Marcus Johansson has five points (two goals, three assists) during a four-game point streak.

They said it

"I am pretty sure there will be a lot of booing, but I love that, so it's all good." -- Kings forward Ilya Kovalchuk, on his return to New Jersey
"I have nothing bad to say about [Kovalchuk]. He played hard, was emotional and wanted to win. He's one of the most skilled guys I've ever seen play with the puck and has a great shot. He was a great teammate while he was here so it's good to see him back in the League and playing." -- Devils forward Travis Zajac

Kings projected lineup

Alex Iafallo -- Anze Kopitar -- Dustin Brown
Brendan Leipsic -- Nate Thompson -- Tyler Toffoli
Carl Hagelin -- Adrian Kempe -- Ilya Kovalchuk
Kyle Clifford -- Michael Amadio -- Austin Wagner
Derek Forbort -- Drew Doughty
Alec Martinez -- Oscar Fantenberg
Dion Phaneuf -- Paul LaDue
Jack Campbell
Jonathan Quick
Scratched:Sean Walker, Matt Luff
Injured:Trevor Lewis (foot), Jonny Brodzinski (shoulder), Jeff Carter (lower body)

Devils projected lineup

Marcus Johansson -- Nico Hischier -- Kyle Palmieri
Miles Wood -- Travis Zajac -- Blake Coleman
Jesper Bratt -- Pavel Zacha -- Drew Stafford
Brian Boyle --
Kevin Rooney
-- Kurtis Gabriel
Andy Greene -- Damon Severson
Will Butcher -- Mirco Mueller
Egor Yakovlev -- Steven Santini
Keith Kinkaid
Cory Schneider
Scratched: Eric Gryba, Brett Seney
Injured:Taylor Hall (lower body), Sami Vatanen (concussion), Joey Anderson (ankle), Stefan Noesen (lower body), Ben Lovejoy (upper body)

Status report

Carter is questionable to play. Thompson is expected to play after missing the past two games with the flu. ... Lovejoy and Anderson practiced Tuesday. Vatanen skated on his own.

Stat pack

Kovalchuk has four points (two goals, two assists) in his past four games. ... Brown needs two points to reach 600 in the NHL. ... Hischier has four points (three goals, one assist) during a two-game point streak.