Devils at Canadiens
THE STORY: Scott Gomez first emerged as a star in the making with the New Jersey Devils in the early 2000s. He'll look to show off his seemingly renewed scoring touch Sunday evening as he leads the host Montreal Canadiens into a pivotal showdown with his old team. Gomez has two goals in his last five games after going more than a calendar year without a tally. While that's not exactly a Rocket Richard pace, it's certainly progress in the eyes of a Canadiens team that desperately needs to string together some victories.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, NBC Sports, CBC
ABOUT THE DEVILS (33-20-4): New Jersey has inserted itself into the mix for home-ice advantage in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs after fashioning a 7-1-2 run over its last 10 games. The Devils are coming off a 3-2 shootout win over the equally scorching Anaheim Ducks on Friday night, aided by a 36-save performance from Martin Brodeur. The extra-time format continues to suit New Jersey, which has won 10 of its 13 shootouts so far this season.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (24-25-10): Gomez was one of New Jersey's top forwards during his seven-year tenure with the club, topping out at 33 goals and 84 points in 2005-06. He has fallen on hard times since signing a lucrative multi-year deal with the New York Rangers prior to the 2007-08 campaign, scoring just 53 goals in parts of five seasons. As for his Canadiens, they enter Sunday six points back of rival Toronto for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.
OVERTIME:
1. Montreal won this season's head-to-head opener 2-1 on Dec. 10 before the Devils responded with back-to-back 5-3 victories.
2. Gomez has four goals and 13 assists in 22 career games against New Jersey.
3. Canadiens netminder Carey Price is 5-2-1 with a 2.20 goals-against average and two shutouts in eight February games.