Pregame Notes: 12/29 Devils at Capitals

DEVILS VS. CAPITALS
Tonight is the first of four games between the Devils and Capitals in 2016-17. The teams will meet again for the tail-end of this home-and-home series on Saturday at Prudential Center at 1PM.
The Devils are 3-3-2 against Metropolitan Division opponents and are 7-8-5 against Eastern Conference opponents. New Jersey is 4-12-5 on the road this season.
New Jersey was 0-2-2 vs. Washington in 2015-16. The Devils last win against the Caps was Nov. 14, 2014 (1-0) and they are 6-7-3 vs. Washington since the 2012-13 season.
Michael Cammalleri has five points (2g-3a) in five games vs. the Capitals as a Devil. He also has 15 points in 16 games in his career against Washington.

CAPITALS CONNECTIONS
Travis Zajac and Washington forwards Taylor Chorney and T.J. Oshie were teammates at the University of North Dakota in 2005-06…P.A. Parenteau and Caps' forward Lars Eller were teammates on Montreal in 2014-15…Capitals' defenseman John Carlson played for the NJ Rockets (ATJHL) for two seasons from 2005-07…New Jersey's Assistant General Manager Tom Fitzgerald played under Caps Head Coach Barry Trotz from 1998-2002; Fitzgerald served the Predators as team captain during each of those four seasons…Washington's Associate Coach Todd Reirden was New Jersey's 14th choice (12th round) and the 242nd overall pick in the 1990 Entry Draft…Head Coach John Hynes served as an assistant under Reirden with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2009-10 and succeeded him as Head Coach of the Penguins the following season.