Blues at Devils
After putting forth a career-best performance in his last outing, Jake Allen has been confirmed to start on Tuesday as the St. Louis Blues continue their four-game road trip against the New Jersey Devils. Allen recorded a personal best with 45 saves as St. Louis skated to its second straight win and fifth in six outings with a 4-0 victory over Central Division rival Nashville on Saturday.
The 25-year-old New Brunswick native also blanked the Devils in their previous meeting at the Prudential Center on Nov. 4, 2014, before making 24 saves two nights later in a 4-3 victory over New Jersey. The red-hot Devils are playing significantly better this season, having won eight of their last 10 overall and three in a row at home. "You want to make home ice a tough place to play. That goes a long way in an 82-game season," forward Kyle Palmieri said. "You want teams to know the identity you have." Palmieri has nine points (four goals, five assists) in his last six outings, including an overtime goal in the Devils' 4-3 victory over Vancouver on Sunday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), MSG-Plus (New Jersey)
ABOUT THE BLUES (10-3-1): Vladimir Tararsenko scored on the power play in that first encounter last season before collecting a goal and an assist in the second to help St. Louis complete a regular-season sweep. Martin Havlat, who signed a one-year contract on Friday, won't have long to wait to see some familiar faces as the veteran forward will compete against the team with which he played last season. "He's up to speed physically, mentally and now technically," coach Ken Hitchcock told reporters.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (8-5-1): Although Adam Henrique leads the team with seven goals, he is doing his best work while his team is short-handed. The 25-year-old Henrique has recorded 11 such goals since 2011-12, sharing top honors in that stretch with Vancouver's Brandon Sutter and Boston's Brad Marchand. Workhorse goaltender Cory Schneider received a rare night off in the team's last game, but looks to improve upon his 3-3-1 career mark versus St. Louis despite posting a 1.91 goals-against average in eight encounters.
OVERTIME
1. New Jersey LW Mike Cammalleri has two goals and an assist in his last two contests after going four straight games without a point.
2. St. Louis has scored three power-play goals in its last two contests after going six consecutive games without a single one.
3. The Devils have killed off all 10 short-handed situations this month.