Devils at Oilers
THE STORY: The Edmonton Oilers return to the friendly confines of Rexall Place on Wednesday as they try to erase the memories of a disastrous road trip by facing the New Jersey Devils. Edmonton went 1-6-0 on its seven-game trek, allowing four goals or more in each of the six losses. The Oilers lost more than games on their trip as Jordan Eberle (knee) and rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (shoulder) went down with injuries and are not expected back in the lineup until after the All-Star break. New Jersey, which is 1-1-0 on its four-game road trip, enters having lost three of its last five overall contests.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, TSN, MSG Plus (New Jersey)
ABOUT THE DEVILS (23-17-2): Star left wing Ilya Kovalchuk took over the goal-scoring lead by netting his 16th of the season in Tuesday's loss at Calgary. Kovalchuk has notched two points and at least one goal in each of his last three games. Goaltender Martin Brodeur was not happy with coach Peter DeBoer's decision to pull him after the five-time Vezina Trophy winner allowed two goals on five shots against the Flames. "He makes his own decision on it," Brodeur said. "I'm definitely not going to sit here and say I deserved it or whatever. I'm sure he felt it worked once in Ottawa (on Dec. 8), maybe he'd try to do it again. I don't know his thinking process on that one. In a game like that, you've got to give me a chance to play. Seven minutes into the game, it's not over yet."
ABOUT THE OILERS (16-22-3): Defenseman Corey Potter was rewarded with a two-year contract extension on Tuesday. The 28-year-old, who signed as a free agent over the summer, has registered three goals and 11 assists in 27 games. Gilbert Brule is now an ex-Oiler after he was claimed off waivers by the Phoenix Coyotes. Brule has spent the entire season with Oklahoma City of the AHL, recording eight goals and 10 assists in 27 contests with the Barons.
OVERTIME:
1. New Jersey leads the league with 10 shorthanded goals but also has yielded a league-high 12 tallies while down a skater.
2. The Devils have lost nine of their last 11 games against Northwest Division opponents.
3. Edmonton is 3-1-3 in its last seven meetings with New Jersey.