The Devils will look to turn things around Wednesday night versus the Red Wings.
The New Jersey Devils are less than two hours away from puck drop against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. Tonight marks the second time the two teams will meet this season, as the Devils earned a 4-3 victory on Oct. 12.
New Jersey and Detroit are coming off of respective losses and will look to get back on track ahead of the American Thanksgiving holiday. With both teams currently out of a wild-card spot, players like Michael McLeod expect an intense game Wednesday night.
"I think it's a huge game," McLeod said. "We are trying to get on a little roll here. I think with Jack back and stuff like that, we are heading in the right direction. They are obviously a hungry team, too, so it's going to be a good one. The first period is going to be huge."
American Thanksgiving is a vital benchmark in an NHL season. Historically, teams in playoff position on Thanksgiving Night have made the playoffs 77% of the time in the salary cap era.
After the team's optional morning skate, head coach Lindy Ruff was asked about his thoughts on the benchmark.
"I have always thought it's an important mark of where you're at," Ruff said. "We are right in the middle of the league and within a couple of points of moving up. When you look at three games in four nights, it is a really important stretch for us."
Puck drop between the Devils and Red Wings is scheduled for 7:00 P.M.