New Jersey has an all-time record of 77-73-10-7 versus Montreal.
The New Jersey Devils will host the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night at Prudential Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. The team held a morning skate at 10:30 A.M.
Timo Meier, who has been out of the lineup since Dec. 30, was on the ice with his team. Brendan Smith, who was being evaluated for a leg injury, was missing along with rookie defenseman Luke Hughes.
Afterward, head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed that Meier would return to the lineup Wednesday night.
"Timo is good to go," he said. "Timo is going to play tonight."
Meier scored his first career NHL goal on his first shot versus the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 16, 2016.
Ruff additionally shared that the Devils will be without Smith, who has a sprained knee and will miss some time. The youngest Hughes brother is expected to play even though he is currently fighting an illness.
Devils vs. Canadiens - Prudential Center
The Devils have earned a 1-0-0 record versus the Canadiens this season. New Jersey defeated Montreal on Oct. 24, 5-2. Tyler Toffoli celebrated a hat trick versus his former club. Goaltender Vitek Vanecek made 27 saves on 29 shots.
The Canadiens are sixth in the Atlantic Division (18-18-7). They are coming off a 4-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Joel Armia scored the game-winning goal with 4:10 remaining in the game. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield each earned two points in the victory. They are 3-5-2 in their last ten games.
- New Jersey's injury list includes Dougie Hamilton (out indefinitely), Tomas Nosek (out indefinitely), Jonas Siegenthaler (broken foot), Ondrej Palat (lower body), Jack Hughes (upper body), Brendan Smith (sprained knee).
- Montreal's injury list includes Kirby Dach (knee), Alex Newhook (ankle), Christian Dvorak (pectoral muscle), Tanner Pearson (upper body), and Josh Anderson (lower body).
- There are plenty of connections between these two teams: Mike Matheson and Sam Montembeault played with Erik Haula in Florida. Matheson also played with John Marino in Pittsburgh. Tanner Pearson and Curtis Lazar played together in Vancouver. Pearson also played with Toffoli in Los Angeles and Vancouver.
- Chris Tierney and Toffoli have previously played for Montreal.
- As of Jan. 16, the Devils' 14 comeback wins this season are tied with the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche for first in the league.
- Per the media notes, Erik Haula has four points (two goals, two assists) over the team's last five games played dating to Jan. 5, vs Chicago, which leads New Jersey.
Projected Lineup
New Jersey:
Tyler Toffoli - Nico Hischier - Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier - Michael McLeod - Dawson Mercer
Erik Haula - Curtis Lazar - Nate Bastian
Max Willman - Chris Tierney - Alexander Holtz
Kevin Bahl - Simon Nemec
Luke Hughes - John Marino
Cal Foote - Colin Miller
Nico Daws/Vitek Vanecek
Montreal:
Cole Caufield - Nick Suzuki - Juraj Slafkovsky
Rafael Harvey-Pinard - Jake Evans - Brendan Gallagher
Joshua Roy - Sean Monahan - Joel Armia
Michael Pezzetta - Mitchell Stephens - Jesse Ylonen
Kaiden Guhle - Michael Matheson
Jayden Struble - David Savard
Jordan Harris - Jonathan Kovacevic
Sam Montembeault/Jake Allen
Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be broadcast on MSGSN. Bill Spaulding will handle play-by-play alongside analyst Ken Daneyko and host Erika Wachter. Fans can also listen on the Devils Hockey Network with Matt Loughlin on play-by-play.
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