The Devils kick off a three-game homestand with a pair of contests against Washington, starting Friday night. It will be the final game that the Devils will don their Reverse Retro jerseys this season.
You can watch the game once again on MSG+ or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS

WATCH LIVE AT 6:15 PM ET
Watch the PlayUp Devils Pre-Game Show with host Chris Wescott for analysis, interviews and more!
WATCH LIVE AT 6:30 PM ET
Get set right before game time as Chris Wescott and Chico Resch talk lineups and storylines during the pre-game warmup!
PRE-GAME VIDEOS
Devils Minute with Amanda Stein
Interviews with Devils Players:
Murray
|
Boqvist
Pre-Game Media Availability with Head Coach Lindy Ruff
WATCH LIVE AFTER THE GAME
Chris Wescott and Matt Loughlin have post-game reaction, highlights and analysis immediately following the game
THE NUMBERS
Stats Comparison: NJD vs. WSH
Head-to-Head: NJD vs. WSH
Devils Player Stats
Capitals Player Stats
Media Game Notes
RECENT NEWS & BLOGS
FEATURE: Thompson takes next step
BLOG: Devils Rookies Learn on the Fly
BLOG: Devils Take Advantage of Off Days
BLOG: Gusev
PROSPECT: Welcome to Newark, Tyce
RECENT VIDEOS
PRACTICE REPORT: Tyce, Tyce Baby
Thursday's Interviews:
Ruff
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Thompson
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Palmieri
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Blackwood
DETAILS: Episode 4 - Zajac
TV & RADIO
You can watch the game on MSG+
You can listen to tonight's game on the Devils Hockey Network.

INSIDE THE DEVILS

Check out the latest team coverage in our Inside the Devils Blog.
>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE DEVILS BLOG

PRE-GAME STORY

NEWARK, NJ -The Devils and Capitals meet for the penultimate time of the 2020-21 season. Despite what the records say (New Jersey is 0-5-1 in the season series), every game but one has been decided by one goal.
And not that neither team needs any added incentive, but both clubs are coming off of disappointing losses. Washington played the previous evening in an 8-4 drubbing to the New York Islanders.
"They'll be ready for sure," defenseman Ryan Murray said. "Obviously, it wasn't their night last night. Everyone knows that. We know that. We really want to be prepared for them, because even though it's back-to-back for them they're going to be ready."
The Devils, meanwhile, had a 4-2 lead in the third period against Boston Tuesday night, but lost the game, 5-4, in a shootout.
"Obviously, that game last night that (Washington) played, giving up the number of goals, they want to right the ship," Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said. "I think we're a team that wants to right the ship after the way that we finished the Boston game. So really you look at two teams that should be angry."
The Devils and Capitals play a very similar style, in that both squads want to play with speed, push the pace and be aggressive. However, due to Washington's advantage in the skill department, Ruff doesn't want to see his team playing a pond hockey game and trading chance-for-chance.
Instead, Ruff pointed to the way his team played in a 3-2 loss to the Capitals on March 28. Trailing in the third period, the Devils held Washington to a single shot on goal - yes, one. The Devils managed four shots in that tightly-played final frame. Devils forward Kyle Palmieri nearly tied the game in the final seconds, but his shot hit the back of Capitals defenseman John Carlson.
"That's the type of game that we have a better chance of winning," Ruff said. "If we aren't giving up the rush chances, if we aren't trading opportunities, I think the advantage goes to them if we start trading high-end opportunities because we haven't been able to finish our high-end (chances).
"I think an area we can clean up is the rush opportunities."
Home Cooking
Speaking of areas the Devils need to clean up, one is their play at Prudential Center. The club is just 4-11-2 at home, while boasting a 9-5-3 mark on the road.
"We've got to have a better record (at home)," Ruff said. "It's definitely something that we need to fix. Probably No. 1 has been our puck management. Although we've had a lot of tough breaks in our own building. They go hand-in-hand. You make your own luck."
The Devils have come up with some strategies to course correct. One stratagem the coaching staff has enacted is creating more of a "road" feel at home. That includes creating a condensed game night by having the players arrive later to the arena.
On the road, teams typically arrive at the rink anywhere from 2-3 hours before a game, and then go through a truncated routine of video prep and physical warm-ups. At home, players typically will filter in on their own time and sometimes arrive at the arena four or more hours before game time.
"Shortening everything to getting the players into the building a little bit later so that we're not sitting in the dressing room for three hours, two hours, getting the meetings to the point, a lot quicker, a lot simpler," Ruff said.
The tightened pre-game routine can also create a greater sense of urgency in the players' psyches. Whether or not that will translate onto the ice remains to be seen. It will still all come down to execution.
"For me, we have to simplify our game a little bit," Ruff said. "We have to manage our puck a little better here in our building. Our strength is our speed and execution. When we're passing the puck well, skating well, we can get the opposition on their heels. When we do that, we have to take advantage of it."
48-Hour Energy
The Devils experienced their first (and last) two-day break between games Wednesday and Thursday since the COVID-19 halt. The club was given a full day off Wednesday and had a full-length practice Thursday.
Fatigue has creeped into the Devils' game of late, most noticeably in a lethargic 4-0 loss to Washington March 26. So the reprieve, however brief, was much needed.
"We had a good day off, a good day of practice," Ruff said. "I decided to make (Friday) an optional skate to let the players prepare and save as much energy as they can for the game tonight. I would expect our energy level to be up. I'd be pretty disappointed if it wasn't."
Though the break was welcomed, some players relished the hectic schedule.
"When you're just going every night and playing every second night and playing back-to-backs, it was go, go, go," Murry said. "I kind of enjoyed that. It was fun playing every single night. You're around the team a lot. You're on the road, you're at home, you're all over the map. And you're just playing all the time."
That doesn't mean Murray didn't take advantage of some quality R&R.
"The two days felt pretty nice to get that day off and a practice day in between," he said. "If felt like forever since we've had that. That was nice, but we want to show that we have energy from that. Tonight, we have to prove it."

PREVIEW

DEVILS (13-16-5) vs CAPITALS (23-9-4)
TV:MSG+ AT 7 PM ET
Head-to-Head
The Capitals have dominated the season series, winning all six of the previous matchups. The Devils did force one overtime session to post a 0-4-1 record. In the previous meeting, March 26, the Devils were shutout for the first time on the year in a 4-0 loss.
Pavel Zacha (1G-3A) and Travis Zajac (4A) lead the Devils in scoring against Washington. Evgeny Kuznetsov leads the Capitals in scoring against New Jersey with seven points (2G-5A), while Alex Ovechkin has five goals and six points.
The upcoming two-game series (Friday and Sunday) will be the final two meetings between the teams this season.
Devils Team Scope:
The Devils, who will be wearing their Reverse Retro jerseys for the final time of the season, returned home following a season-long six-game, 10-day road trip that saw the club go 3-2-1. New Jersey will now host a three-game homestand, and play six of its next seven at Prudential Center.
The Devils had their final two-day break between games of the season Wednesday and Thursday. The club took a full day off Wednesday and held a full, much-needed practice Thursday. The Devils are looking to improve upon their home record (4-11-2) by adopting more of a road mentality. Surprisingly, the club is a robust 9-5-3 in unfriendly confines.
Forward Tyce Thompson joined the club for his first NHL practice Thursday afternoon. The team's fourth-round pick (96th overall) in the 2019 Draft was a member of Providence College a week ago before signing with the Devils. Though the team wouldn't put a date on his NHL debut, it's probably unlikely it would be this evening.

Capitals Team Scope:
The Capitals are playing in the second-half of back-to-back games against New Jersey. Washington fell, 8-4, in a wild game on Long Island against New York, thanks to a hat trick Mathew Barzal.
Despite losing its first game of April, Washington finished the month of March with a record of 11-3-0. The Capitals defense has had its struggles of late though. Since shutting out New Jersey on March 26, Washington has surrendered 17 goals in the past three games.
Niklas Backstrom leads the team in scoring with 38 points (13G-25A), while the legendary Alex Ovechkin paces the club with 18 goals. Defenseman John Carlson is enjoying a Norris Trophy-type season with nine goals and 31 points.
By the Numbers:
New Jersey reached two milestones in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime loss at Boston. Zajac picked up his 200th-career goal, while defenseman Ryan Murray notched his 100th career assist. Kyle Palmieri has goals in back-to-back games, and five in the past eight overall.
Injury Update:
Devils:Bastian (lower-body), Hischier (frontal sinus fracture).
Capitals:Kempny (Achilles tendon).