Devils at Ducks
The New Jersey are the hottest team in hockey but they will be without their leading scorer for at least three weeks heading into the second stop of their four-game road trip. Riding a five-game winning streak, the longest for the franchise since February 2013, New Jersey pays a visit to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.
Taylor Hall, acquired from the Edmonton Oilers during the offseason, underwent surgery Wednesday to report a torn meniscus in his left knee. The former No. 1 overall pick was placed on injured reserve and is expected to be sidelined approximately three-to-four weeks, the team said in a statement. Anaheim opened a five-game homestand with a 4-1 victory over Edmonton on Tuesday, moving into a tie with the Oilers atop the Pacific Division. The Ducks have struggled against teams from the Metropolitan Division, posting a 2-4-2 record that includes a 2-1 loss at New Jersey on Oct. 18.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, MSG-Plus (New Jersey), Prime Ticket (Anaheim), NHL.TV
ABOUT THE DEVILS (9-3-3): New Jersey has allowed the second-fewest goals (31) in the league and may have to rely on its defense more following the loss of Hall, who shares the team lead in points (12) and goals (five). With Hall sitting out Tuesday's 2-1 overtime win at Dallas, Adam Henrique and former Duck Kyle Palmieri -- a pair of 30-goal scorers last season -- combined for the game-winning tally, with Henrique doing the honors 44 seconds into the extra session. Cory Schneider has yielded five goals in his last three starts.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (8-6-3): John Gibson was pulled in the second period of Saturday's 5-0 drubbing by Nashville, but he rebounded with a season-high 33-save performance against Edmonton. “You try to be good every night,” Gibson said. “Obviously some nights are better than others. But we want to be able to make sure we’re consistent." Ryan Kesler got off to a low start for Anaheim this season, failing to score a goal in his first seven games, but he has picked up the pace with seven tallies in his last 10 contests.
OVERTIME
1. Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf is second on the team with 14 points, but he has one goal in 13 games against New Jersey.
2. The Devils are 0-for-21 on the power play over the past six games.
3. Anaheim traded C Michael Sgarbossa to Florida for F Logan Shaw on Wednesday.