Devils at Hurricanes
The New Jersey Devils' postseason aspirations are hanging by a thread, while the Carolina Hurricanes bid adieu to any playoff talk long ago. The Devils look to give their bleak postseason hopes a jolt and snap a three-game skid when they visit their Metropolitan Division rivals on Saturday. New Jersey suffered its third straight setback with a 3-2 overtime loss to Washington on Thursday, falling 11 points behind Ottawa for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with eight games remaining.
The Devils' offense has gone soft as they have mustered just three goals during their skid, and they've only netted six despite posting a 2-0-1 record in the season series versus the Hurricanes. Adam Henrique has scored twice versus Carolina but has been held off the scoresheet in three consecutive contests following a four-game point streak. Hurricanes captain Eric Staal has been heating up since being held without a point in six straight games, as evidenced by his one-goal, two-assist performance in a 5-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Thursday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New Jersey), FSN Carolinas
ABOUT THE DEVILS (31-31-12): Steve Bernier, who scored his third goal in four games against the Capitals, admits New Jersey isn't accepting these losses laying down. "We want to win. It's not fun losing," Bernier said. "Everybody in this room has got a lot to prove." Veteran Scott Gomez is doing his best to prove himself, recording a goal and three assists in his last four games while also collecting three points in the season series.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (27-36-10): Cam Ward admitted he felt no worse for wear after making 27 saves on Thursday in his return from a five-game absence due to a virus. "I had a bit of a rough go with the sickness and just happy to be back feeling healthy again," Ward told the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer. The 31-year-old has been confirmed to get the nod on Saturday against New Jersey, versus which he has struggled with a 9-14-2 career mark and 2.79 goals-against average.
OVERTIME
1. Carolina C Victor Rask has notched one goal and two assists during his three-game point streak but did not score in his first three career meetings with New Jersey.
2. The Devils are 0-for-7 on the power play in their last five games.
3. Hurricanes RW Alexander Semin scored versus Pittsburgh, but an undisclosed injury prevented him from practicing on Friday. He is questionable to face New Jersey.