Canadiens at Devils
THE STORY: The Montreal Canadiens seek their fifth straight victory in the Garden State on Thursday when they face the New Jersey Devils. This is the third of four meetings between the clubs this season. They split the first two games with the road team winning both contests. The Devils are playing the final contest of a six-game homestand and are coming off a 4-3 shootout win against the New York Rangers. The win ended a three-game losing skid for New Jersey, which faces powerhouses Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, the Rangers and St. Louis in its next four games following this matchup. New Jersey's Patrik Elias has six points on the homestand and 13 over the last 10 games. Elias scored twice in the Devils' last game with Montreal on Dec. 17.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, RDS, TSN-Habs (Montreal), MSG+ (New Jersey)
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (19-22-9): The Canadiens haven't missed the postseason since 2007, but are tied for the second-fewest points in the Eastern Conference. Earning victories on the road has been a tough task. The Canadiens' 2-6-1 road record since Dec. 15 is second-worst among East teams, even though they've been tied or leading after two periods in their last six away from home. Max Pacioretty scored the lone goal for the Canadiens in Tuesday’s loss to the Buffalo Sabres. He has six goals and two assists over his last seven games.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (27-19-3): The Devils will be without Cs Travis Zajac and Adam Henrique, who are both out with injuries. Dainius Zubrus will center the top line with Ilya Kovalchuk and captain Zach Parise despite being a natural right wing. David Clarkson had two points in Tuesday's shootout win against the Rangers and has 17 goals and 24 points in 49 games this season. Clarkson amassed 12 goals and 18 points in 82 games last season.
OVERTIME:
1. All-Star Carey Price has allowed two goals or fewer in five of his last six starts.
2. Martin Brodeur is 7-3-0 with a 1.72 goals-against average in his last 10 games versus the Canadiens.
3. Erik Cole has two goals and seven assists over his last six games.