THE SCOOP
The Devils power play erupted Saturday against Vancouver with three man-advantage goals, two from captain Nico Hischier. That was good for a 4-1 victory. The first goal from Hischier was the 200th of his career. Meanwhile, goalie Jake Allen picked up the win in his 500th career NHL games. New Jersey had spurted with two losses after winning the season opener against Philadelphia in overtime.
Devils defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic (knee) was removed from the Injured Reserve list and is eligible to make his season debut. With back-to-back nights for the Devils starting against Ottawa and following at Detroit, it's likely Kovacevic will play in one of the two.
The biggest news of the off-season for Ottawa was trading Brady Tkachuk to Florida. But despite losing one of its top forwards, the Senators have enjoyed a strong start to the season with a 4-1-0 record.
Tim Stutzle has picked up the offense for Ottawa with four goals and eight points in the opening five games of the season. Drake Batherson's three goals have also contributed. On the backside, goalie Linus Ullmark is off to a remarkable start. He's allowed just five goals in four games to post a 4-0-0 record, 1.34 goals-against average and 942 save percentage.
