Miles Wood and Tomas Tatar will face their former team for the first time this season.
After their team's morning skate, Colorado Avalanche forwards Miles Wood and Tomas Tatar returned to the locker room and sat at their respective stalls.
While not exactly on opposite sides of the room, the two former Devils players don't sit beside each other. Artturi Lehkonen and Ryan Johansen flank Tatar, while Wood is between Mikko Rantanen and Andrew Cogliano.
Knowing they were hours away from facing their former team for the first time this season, a post-skate media scrum was expected. The Hockey News Colorado Avalanche site editor, Colleen Flynn, spoke to both former Devils players this morning about tonight's game.
Related: ‘As Soon as the Puck Drops, It’s Game Time’: Miles Wood Ready to Face Off Against Former Team
"I'm excited. It's exciting to see all the guys again. Fun to see them on the opposite side. Obviously, you want to play well to kind of stick it to them, but I have a lot of friends on the team," Tatar said to Flynn. "I had a great two years there. I'm looking forward to challenging them and playing against them."
Throughout his career, Tatar has played 23 games versus New Jersey and has collected 11 points, five goals, six assists). The veteran is no stranger to facing his former club, as Colorado is his fifth NHL team.
It is a different story for Wood, who played the first eight seasons of his career in New Jersey.
"I'm excited, but at the end of the day, it's just another game that we're trying to win here," Wood said to Flynn. "I guess it's a little special but, as soon as the puck drops, it's game time."
When asked if he had any favorite memories of Wood, Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said, "I think the speed that Miles brings to the game. Some of the breakaways that he created with his own speed. And really, just the laugh he has, kind of the giggle he's got. It always puts a smile on my face."
According to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, Wood went to dinner with former Devils teammates on Monday night.
Wood signed a six-year, $15 million contract with the Avalanche on July 1 as a free agent. On Sept. 12, Tatar signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Avalanche. In an interview, he confirmed that he declined a one-year contract offer to stay in New Jersey because he was looking for a multi-year deal early in free agency.
Puck drop between the Devils and Avalanche will be at 10:00 P.M. It will be a TNT broadcast with Kenny Albert handling play-by-play alongside analyst Eddie Olczyk. Brian Boucher will be between the benches.