Devils Head to Canadian Capital | PREVIEW

NEW JERSEY DEVILS (28-24-2) at OTTAWA SENATORS (25-21-7)

New Jersey heads to the Canadian Capital to take on the Ottawa Senators in a pivotal contest in the playoff standings. Puck drop is 7 p.m. ET.

Read below for your game preview presented by Cutting Edge Ice Academy and check back for the pre-game story.

MORNING SKATE RECAP

KANATA, Ont. - Check back following the Devils morning skate around 1 p.m. ET.

THE SCOOP

The Devils continue their quest for a playoff berth. Following a 3-2 overtime win against Nashville on Thursday, the club has climbed to within seven points of the New York Islanders for the final Metro position and nine points to Boston for the final Wild Card spot.

New Jersey faces an Ottawa team that is at its heels. The Devils’ 58 points is just one ahead of Ottawa (57) but the Senators have one game in hand.

The biggest question heading into the game is the status of center Jack Hughes. He suffered a lower-body injury against Nashville and was limited to just three shifts. Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said he “tweaked something” but it wasn’t expected to be long term. However, it isn't known yet if he'll be available against the Senators. Center Cody Glass (lower-body) missed the last game for New Jersey but did join them in Ottawa and could return to the lineup.

The Senators are coming off of two big victories against Colorado (5-2) and Vegas (7-1). The contest against New Jersey is the final of a four-game homestand. They’ll play their final three games before the Olympic break on the road.

Ottawa forward Tim Stutzle leads the team in goals (24) and points (55). The team has four players with 40 or more points on the season. Goalies Linus Ullmark and Leevi Meritainen have split the duties in net.

WHO’S HOT

Devils: Devils captain Nico Hischier has three goals and four points in his last four games, including the overtime winner against Nashville on Thursday.

Senators: Tim Stutzle has points in seven on his last nine games for 10 total (5g-5a). He’s riding a three-game scoring streak (2g-2a).

INJURIES

Devils:
Noesen (knee)
L.Hughes (shoulder)
McLaughlin (undisclosed)
MacEwen (upper body)
Glass (lower-body)
J.Hughes (lower-body)

Senators:
Halliday (upper-body)
Perron (hernia)

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

• Dec. 9 at Ottawa, 4-3 W
• Jan. 31 at Ottawa
• April 12 vs. Ottawa

GAME NOTES

• The Devils and Senators meet for the second and final time this season in Ottawa.
• The Devils picked up a 4-3 victory in Ottawa on Dec. 9. Cody Glass, Paul Cotter, Arseny Gritsyuk and Simon Nemec scored in the victory.
• The two teams finish the season series in New Jersey on April 12
• Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton has a nine-game point streak with 10 total points (2g-8a). He also has scored points in his last 10 games played for 11 (2g-9a).
• Nico Hischier's 463 career points passed teammate Timo Meier for fourth most all-time by a Swiss-born skater.