Devils Start Home-and-Home Series with the Wild | PREVIEW

New Jersey kicks off a home-and-home against the Minnesota Wild, Sunday afternoon at Prudential Center. Puck drop is 5 p.m. ET.

You can watch on MSGSN or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

Read below for your game preview and pre-game story.

PRE-GAME STORY

Newark, N.J. - Some of the biggest news out of Saturday’s practice included Captain Nico Hischier ruled out with an upper-body injury for tonight's game. Sunday afternoon, the Devils announced another injury transaction: defenseman Colin Miller was added to the IR, retroactive to Oct. 19.

With the move, the Devils recalled forward Justin Dowling from the Utica Comets. Dowling has three assists through four games played with the Comets. The centerman has 98 games of NHL experience with the Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks. For Devils head coach Lindy Ruff it was a no-brainer to bring Dowling up.

“He’s been their best forward,” Ruff said on Dowling with the Comets. “If I went through training camp and what he did and how he played, he played in a lot of preseason games. He played well.

“He’s a (guy) that can kill penalties, he can play against top lines, he’s a smart player," Ruff continued. "So it was an easy answer to bring him up.”

Whether Dowling will make his Devils debut Sunday afternoon against the Wild will be a 'game-time decision' according to Ruff.

Filling In

With Hischier out of the lineup, it’s a next man up mentality for the Devils. They have several players they can turn to with the Captain’s workload. Michael McLeod is a centerman that can fill in on any line and is strong in the face-off dot.

“McLeod is a great skater,” Ruff explained. “He can create a lot of puck pressure himself. Good puck handler, good on face-offs. So if you’re playing him against top lines, you get a chance for puck possession right off the bat. I think he’s proven through the last couple of years and even late last season that he can be a guy that can fill in for that spot and help a line out.”

Erik Haula is someone the Devils can turn to on the wing or at center. He also brings great penalty killing skills, the ability to win face-offs, and is showing his offensive impact with four goals in six games.

“(He’s a guy) that can easily slide up, fill in where Hischier’s at if the line doesn’t go well. We know what he can bring. We know what a good playoff he had last year. He brings a lot of good qualities to our team.

“The shorthanded goal, his penalty killing,” Ruff continued about Haula’s impact. “He’s fought through some adversity with some ailments to get him to this point of the season and we know he’s a big part of helping us win hockey games.”

Carrying Over

The next two games for both teams are against each other, creating a home-and-home series for the Wild and Devils. Having games in quick succession allows each team to make course corrections quickly and push for a better game against the same opponent just nights later. It can also carry over some of the emotions from the first game to the second.

“You build up a little anger sometimes from game to game,” Devils head coach Lindy Ruff explained Saturday. “They get to know what we are when you’re back-to-back and we get to know what they are. But I think you can carry stuff over from one game to the next.”

PREVIEW

DEVILS (4-2-1) vs. WILD (3-3-2)

Head-to-Head

This is the first of two meetings between the clubs, with the second on Nov. 2 in Minnesota. In their two meetups last year, the Devils lost both games to the Wild, first 3-2 in a shootout on Feb. 11, and then falling 2-1 in overtime, on Mar. 21 at home.

Devils Team Scope:

The Devils are finding more of their game after struggling with some defensive breakdowns and slow starts in the first weeks of the season. New Jersey had a strong performance against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday where they doubled their first-period goal total this season, brought energy, and entered the middle frame tied in score. Late in the game, the Devils had to defend a one-goal lead, which through solid play and great goaltending, they were able to achieve. Friday's win was a rebound win after dropping Wednesday's game to the Washington Capitals

Captain Nico Hischier was injured during Friday's game against the Sabres and after missing Saturday's practice, head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed the centerman will miss Sunday's game with an upper-body injury. Forward Jack Hughes took a maintenance day on Saturday but is available for Sunday's game.

Hughes is off to an incredible start with 18 points through seven games. He leads the Devils in points and assists (13) and he is second in goals (5). Tyler Toffoli leads New Jersey with six goals, which make up the majority of his nine points through seven games. Jesper Bratt's 11 points and seven assists are second in both categories, while the winger is tied with Erik Haula for third-most goals with four.

The Devils are planning on using both goaltenders a lot during the season, which is already seen through the first few weeks. Vitek Vanecek has played five games and started four. He has a 3-2-0 record with a 3.30 goals against average and a .891 save percentage. Akira Schmid has played three games with a 1-0-1 record. He's averaging 4.07 goals against and has a .863 save percentage. New Jersey is committed to stronger defense in front of their goaltenders which will help improve their numbers.

Wild Team Scope:

It's been an up and down start for the Wild this year as they have yet to win consecutive games. Currently, Minnesota is on a two-game losing skid, after falling 6-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, and then losing 3-2 in a shootout against the Washington Capitals the next night. Minnesota is working on their special teams, keeping it simple, and taking advantage of their opportunities. The Wild can be a physical, tough team to face and this is an area the Devils are preparing for in Sunday's matchup.

Like the Devils, the Wild are experiencing some injury problems with four players out: Jared Spurgeon (upper-body), Matt Boldy (upper-body), Alex Goligoski (lower-body), and Freddy Gaudreau (upper-body). Defenseman Daemon Hunt made his NHL debut Friday night as one of the guys filling in for injuried players.

Ryan Hartman and Joel Eriksson Ek lead the Wild with five goals a piece. Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov's seven assists each are also a team-high. Zuccarello, Kaprizov, and Eriksson Ek are pacing the Wild with nine points each.

The Wild have turned to Filip Gustavsson five games this season, where he has a 2-2-1 record. He's averaging 4.36 goals against and has a .885 save percentage. Marc-Andre Fleury has played three games with a 1-1-1 record. He's averaging 2.96 goals against and has a .895 sasve percentage.

By the Numbers:

Jack Hughes' is showing why he's a two-time All-Star at only 22-years-old. Through seven games he has 18 points which leads the NHL. He has three more points than Dylan Larkin who is second on the list.

Sunday's game is the Wild's fourth game in six days, three of which were on the East Coast. Minnesota heads home for a week and two games before coming right back to face three more Eastern Conference teams.

Injuries:

Devils

Tomas Nosek (IR, Lower-Body)

Colin Miller (Undisclosed)

Nico Hischier (Upper-Body)

Wild

Jared Spurgeon (Upper-Body)

Matt Boldy (Upper-Body)

Alex Goligoski (Lower-Body)

Freddy Gaudreau (Upper-Body)