Match-up - New Jersey Devils (13-11-6) @ Carolina Hurricanes (15-12-2)
Road/Home records - 4-6-4 -------------- 7-7-0
TV - MSG, NHLN-US, FS-CAR
Puck drop - 7:00 PM ET
Season series - Hurricanes lead 2-0
Last 10: Devils 3-5-2 / Hurricanes 5-4-1
Projected starting goalies - Martin Brodeur (NJ) vs. Dan Ellis (CAR)

Battle of the stats

Goals for/against per game

Carolina - 2.90 / 2.79
New Jersey - 2.40 / 2.67

Power play/Penalty Kill percentage

Carolina - 13.1% / 78.4%
New Jersey - 16.5% / 80.2%

Here are the projected lines (subject to change) for the Hurricanes:

Lines courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com.

Jiri Tlusty - Eric Staal - Alex Semin
Jeff Skinner - Jordan Staal - Pat Dwyer
Drayson Bowman - Riley Nash - Jussi Jokinen
Adam Hall - Tim Brent - Kevin Westgarth

Joni Pitkanen - Jamie McBain
Tim Gleason - Bobby Sanguinetti
Jay Harrison - Brett Bellemore

Here are the projected lines (subject to change) for the Devils:

Adem Henrique - Andrei Loktionov - Ilya Kovalchuk
Patrik Elias - Travis Zajac - David Clarkson
Ryan Carter - Stephen Gionta - Steve Bernier
Krys Barch - Tim Sestito - Tom Kostopoulos

Bryce Salvador - Marek Zidlicky
Andy Greene - Adam Larsson
Anton Volchenkov - Peter Harrold

Notes: Martin Brodeur is expected to start...Andrei Loktionov is questionable for tonight's game but the expectation is he'll play...Dainius Zubrus is close but will not play...Alexei Ponikarovsky is day-to-day and will not play...Tim Sestito is expected to play...Harri Pesonen will sit if he does...Mark Fayne is expected to be the healthy scratch on defense...Henrik Tallinder is still on injured reserve and will not play.

Hurricanes to watch out for:

Eric Staal - The Hurricanes' Captain has been on fire of late, recording five goals and 15 points in his last 11 games.

Jiri Tlusty - He hasn't recorded a point in three consecutive games and he's been a very consistent producer this season. Look for that slump to end if the Devils aren't careful.

Jeff Skinner - He hasn't recorded a point in five consecutive games, by far the longest stretch of the season. Good players can only be held off the scoresheet for so long.

Devils to watch out for:

Andrei Loktionov - Loktionov is expected to return to the top line tonight and center Adam Henrique and Ilya Kovalchuk.

Travis Zajac - He was the best Devils player on the ice against the Rangers. That's a start.

Martin Brodeur - Brodeur is expected to get the nod in goal for the first time since February 21st. It will be interesting to see how he plays in his first game back.

**

Myself and a couple other credentialed CHL writers at TheHockeyGuys put together our top-30 NHL Draft Rankings for March and included a couple side lists as well such as top-5 goal scorers and top-5 2nd year eligible defenseman. You can view the rankings here.

Also, if you're looking for OHL playoff previews, look no further. My colleague Brendan Ross previews the Western Conference action while I preview the Eastern Conference.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Follow me on twitter @ToddCordell.

My ask.me page

TheHockeyGuys.net

Email: [email protected]

Join the Discussion: » 30 Comments » Post New Comment

» Thank you

» On the Chayka rumors and finalists for the Devils' GM job

» Notes on quotes from Lindy Ruff's appearance on 31 Thoughts

» The New Jersey Devils may not have hired the coach they wanted

» Notes on quotes from Ruff, Fitzgerald, and Devils ownership