1. The set up:
It's the second of three match ups between these Eastern Conference opponents with the Devils winning the first meeting 6-2 back at Canadian Tire Centre on Dec. 29. Both sides have avoided elimination from playoff contention down the final stretch of the season however the runway is running short for both.
The Senators are 18 points behind Detroit and with just 14 games remaining the odds are not in their favour. After three tough losses the Senators will look to get back in the win column and play a bit of a spoiler for this Devils team that is also on the outside looking in and needs to make up points in a hurry.
The Devils currently sit six points behind the Red Wings for the final Wild Card spot and seven points behind the Flyers for the final Metropolitan Division spot. With just ten games to go, every point matters at this stage. The Devils have some amount of control over their destiny with two games remaining against the Islanders who are one point ahead of them in the Metropolitan Division and one game against the Flyers remaining. That said it all starts tonight as they will need a win to stay in the fight.