Golden Knights at Devils preview

GOLDEN KNIGHTS (14-11-4) at DEVILS (9-13-4)
7 p.m. ET; MSG, ATTSN-RM, NHL.TV

The Golden Knights defeated the New York Rangers 4-1 on Monday for a season-best third straight win.
Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury isn't with the Golden Knights because of a private family matter, and coach Gerard Gallant says that he believes Fleury will re-join them on their road trip this week but doesn't know when.
Garret Sparks is expected to start against the Devils after Malcolm Subban started four consecutive games.
Devils rookie center Jack Hughes is questionable after missing the past two games. He sustained a lower-body injury in a 6-4 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 28.
New Jersey allowed five goals in the first period of a 7-1 loss at the Buffalo Sabres on Monday and has been outscored 11-1 in two straight losses.

Players to watch

Golden Knights right wing Alex Tuch scored twice against the Rangers and has three goals in his past two games.
Devils center Nico Hischier has seven points (two goals, five assists) in his past eight games.

They said it

"[Tuch] has been hurt a lot this season, so it's great to see him skating and shooting the way he can; I expect Tuch to be a 30-goal scorer. He plays hard, plays well and when he shoots pucks like that they're going to go into the net." -- Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant
"I think everyone in here feels that they probably weren't good enough [against the Sabres] and it's about responding individually [against the Golden Knights]. I'd love to say 'just flush it,' but you get beat 7-1, there were some mistakes that were made and some things we learned, so hopefully we can do that and respond with a better effort." -- Devils left wing Taylor Hall

Golden Knights projected lineup

Jonathan Marchessault -- William Karlsson -- Reilly Smith
Max Pacioretty -- Paul Stastny -- Mark Stone
William Carrier -- Cody Glass -- Alex Tuch
Tomas Nosek --
Chandler Stephenson
-- Ryan Reaves
Brayden McNabb -- Nate Schmidt
Nicolas Hague -- Shea Theodore
Jon Merrill -- Deryk Engelland
Garret Sparks
Malcolm Subban
Scratched: Nick Holden, Marc-Andre Fleury
Injured: Cody Eakin (upper body)

Devils projected lineup

Jesper Boqvist -- Nico Hischier -- Kyle Palmieri
Blake Coleman -- Travis Zajac -- Nikita Gusev
Taylor Hall -- Pavel Zacha -- Jesper Bratt
Miles Wood -- Kevin Rooney -- Wayne Simmonds
Andy Greene -- Damon Severson
Sami Vatanen -- P.K. Subban
Will Butcher -- Matt Tennyson
Mackenzie Blackwood
Louis Domingue
Scratched: Mirco Mueller, John Hayden
Injured: Connor Carrick (finger), Jack Hughes (lower body)

Status report

Neither team held a morning skate. ... The Golden Knights assigned forward Nicolas Roy to Chicago of the American Hockey League and acquired Stephenson in a trade with the Washington Capitals for a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft on Monday. Stephenson will wear No. 17 and could be in the lineup.

Stat pack

Pacioretty has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his past nine games. ... Gusev has four assists in his past three games. … Coleman has six points (four goals, two assists) in his past five games.