Thursday NHL Preview: Montreal vs. New Jersey

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Thursday NHL Preview: Montreal vs. New Jersey

The New Jersey Devils look to wrap up a homestand with a win against Montreal before heading out on the NHL highway.

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This is the third of four meetings between the clubs this season. Each team has won a road game. The Canadiens beat the Devils, 2-1, at Prudential Center on Dec. 10. A week later, the Devils beat the Habs, 5-3, at Bell Centre.

The Devils will be looking to build on their wild 4-3 shootout win over the Rangers on Tuesday while the Canadiens are hoping to avoid a losing streak. They were beaten at home by the Sabres, 3-1, on Tuesday.

After winning their last two games before the All-Star break, including a 7-2 rout over the Detroit Red Wings, the Canadiens emerged from the layoff with a sub-par performance in a 3-1 loss to the Sabres. All-Star goalie Carey Price faced 39 shots, stopping 37, but all the Canadiens could muster against Ryan Miller was a goal by Max Pacioretty.

Montreal is now closer to the bottom of the Eastern Conference than it is to the top eight. Price complained that the Habs were not desperate enough for the full 60 minutes Tuesday night. Coach Randy Cunneyworth talked about how the Canadiens were beaten all over the ice.

The Devils felt their shootout win over the Rangers on Tuesday showed the kind of character they have in the dressing room. They had to come back from three different one-goal deficits, including two in the final five minutes of regulation, to force overtime.

Martin Brodeur, who will get the start Thursday, made 26 saves. Coach Pete DeBoer said he is going to ride Brodeur for the rest of the season, but he will still use Johan Hedberg in back-to-back situations. That means Hedberg will likely play Saturday at Philadelphia or Sunday at home against Pittsburgh.

The difference in the net could be the difference in this game as the Devils want to get the big win and then head out on the road.