Well, the air was taken out of this one. Connor Hellebuyck was supposed to make his much-anticipated return to Winnipeg. However, the New Jersey Devils announced Sunday night that Jake Allen will make the start instead. 

There's still a lot of unknown surrounding the situation. Hellebuyck will speak to the Winnipeg media following the morning skate and will provide some answers and potentially clear the air. Otherwise, the Devils move right along and face a Jets team that will want to make a statement. 

The New Jersey Devils play the second of a back-to-back and make the trip to Canada as they face the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are also on the second of a back-to-back. It suggests some sloppy play from both teams and a lot of goals. That said, the Devils have Connor Hellebuyck starting with extra rest. 

That's a good place to start. But first, some quick stats.

Third times a charm? Let's do it with the third edition of the pregame thoughts. This time, it's with the New Jersey Devils facing the New York Islanders on Saturday night at UBS Arena (7:00 PM start). 

Before diving in, let's look at these two teams. 

Time for take two. After posting some thoughts ahead of the game against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, it's a good time to do the same as the New Jersey Devils host the St. Louis Blues tonight (7:00 PM Eastern start time for this one, a big plus for those covering the game). 

First, let's take a quick glance at the two teams. 

Hello Devils fans! I'm trying something for game day, and if it catches on, we'll do it all season (so comment below what you think).

The Edmonton Oilers are a tough test for the New Jersey Devils, to say the least. The Oilers have three wins in a row and are 7-0 on the road (11-2-2 overall). They also have the second-best offense in the NHL, averaging 4.20 goals per game. 

Nathan Bastian will face the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night at Prudential Center. It marks his second game against his former team. 

Now a member of the Dallas Stars, the 27-year-old will return to game action after serving as a healthy scratch for the last three games. A spot in the lineup opened up after Tyler Seguin suffered an ACL injury Tuesday night against the New York Rangers. 

New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe will make changes to his defense ahead of Monday night's game against the Detroit Red Wings, in the hopes of jumping back into the win column after three straight regulation losses. 
Colton White will draw back into the lineup, replacing Dennis Cholowski. The 28-year-old will start the game playing alongside veteran Brenden Dillon. The decision was made to reunite Jonas Siegenthaler and Dougie Hamilton, and playing Luke Hughes with Simon Nemec. 
"The games White has played, he's played a real efficient game," Keefe said. "He's been solid defensively. And since he's left we've been a little more chaotic. It's not just on his presence in or out, but he helps solidify that. He plays a very calm, relaxed, very mature game."

On Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena, New Jersey Devils winger Brian Halonen scored his first career NHL goal against the Los Angeles Kings. It is his eighth game with the NHL club this season.