I knew exactly where I'd start this week. 

There's nothing I've been asked about more this season (except maybe Dougie Hamilton's return from injury timeline) than where is Miles Wood and how is he doing. 

The truth is, there hasn't been much to update as he was going through his long, arduous rehab from hip surgery. It was what it was, a process. 

But over the weekend, there was actual information to share, and that's where we begin in this week's 10 Takeaways, presented by Ticketmaster.

1. 

The news flew in like a little songbird, unexpected, but joyous. 

"I'm hopeful that he will be able to join practice in 7 to 10 days," Lindy Ruff shared on Sunday. 

'He' is Miles Wood. 

He is the one who has spent the entire season rehabbing from hip surgery after just a single appearance in the pre-season. So to hear the news that he is getting closer to being on the ice with his teammates is exciting for everyone, most of all Miles. 

I've seen Miles in the Prudential Center hallways over the last few weeks and you can just tell by that extra pep in his step and his toothless grin that he can feel it on the horizon too. 

I cannot imagine what it must feel like to in a sense have your entire identity stripped away from you and work through what that must do both mentally and physically to a person. So many of these hockey players, this life alongside teammates is all they've really known, it is the dominant part of their identity. Being away from that, I can only imagine. 

But I can also imagine what it must feel like to be so close. 

It seems as though Miles is almost there. 

Lindy Ruff remains 'hopeful' and so do I. 

As part of the Devils Gender Equality Night celebrations, the Devils will wear warmup jerseys designed by Amrisa Niranjan, pre-game. This is the first time in franchise history that the team will wear jerseys for gender equality. In this edition of Three Things presented by Geico, we take a closer look at all the parts of these warmup threads.

New Jersey continues its four-game homestand against all Western Conference teams Tuesday night when it hosts the Colorado Avalanche, the leading team in the conference. Puck drop is at 7:08 p.m. ET on MSG+ and the Devils Hockey Network.

Jersey hosts its annual Gender Equality Night. The night will feature the Devils' first-ever gender equality themed warm-up jerseys, created by local artist Amrisa Niranjan. 

NEWARK, NJ - The New Jersey Devils will host their annual Gender Equality Night on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 when they face off against the Colorado Avalanche in a 7 P.M. contest at Prudential Center. The night will feature the Devils' first-ever gender equality themed warm-up jerseys, created by local artist Amrisa Niranjan.

The jerseys will feature a marble texture with a mixture of red, pink, purple and white colors throughout the numbers, crest, and patches. The crest and shoulder patches have layers of rings in it to represent the depth and layers in the discussion of gender equality and how it takes time and work to build each layer. The crest shows key dates in gender rights' history.

The first date is MDCCCLI (1851), in which former enslaved woman turned abolitionist and women's rights activist, Sojourner Truth delivers her famous "Ain't I a Woman?" speech at the Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. The second date is MCMXX (1920), when the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is completed, declaring "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." The third date is MCMLXIII (1963) when the Equal Pay Act was signed into law, prohibiting sex-based wage discrimination between men and women performing the same job in the same workplace. The fourth date is MCMLXXII (1972) Title IX of the Education Amendments is signed into law. It states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." The fifth and final date is MCMXCVIII (1998), which is when women's ice hockey took place for the first time at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton cut inside St. Louis' Robert Thomas and received a pass from Pavel Zacha. Hamilton cut to the net and roofed a shot over the shoulder of Blues goalie Ville Husso to give New Jersey a 3-2 overtime victory.

The Devils are now 5-1 in games decided during the overtime session, a remarkable success rate. It shouldn't be a surprise considering the Devils' talent. With that in mind, we decided to take a look back at the three best overtime goals from the season in today's edition of Three Things presented by Geico.

3. Hughes > McDavid

It doesn't get much better than facing the best player in the league, Conor McDavid, and the Edmonton Oilers on a New Year's Eve matinee matchup. The game featured several first-round picks going head-to-head as well as four first-overall selections (EDM, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 2011; EDM, McDavid, 2015; NJD, Nico Hischier, 2017; NJD, Jack Hughes, 2019).

The game did not disappointment. The Devils scored a goal in the final minute to force overtime where they would prove victories by a 6-5 mark. McDavid scored two goals for the Oilers, while Nugent-Hopkins chipped in an assist. Hischier tallied for the Devils, but it was Hughes who stole the show.

Hughes posted two goals and three points in the game, but his second goal came in the extra session to decide the contest.

Video: EDM@NJD: Hughes fires wrister through defender's legs

Scott Wheeler, who covers the NHL Draft and prospects for The Athletic, recently released his rankings of the best team prospect pools in the league. And the Devils talent ranked No. 4 in the entire NHL, headlined by Utica's Alexander Holtz and Michigan's Luke Hughes.

"I think both of them are going to be excellent NHL players," Wheeler told the Speak of the Devils podcast. "I think that's clear at this point.

"I think with Holtz what you're expecting is a goal-scoring winger who can play on your first power play, who can play on your top-6 at even strength, who can really shoot the puck. I actually think Holtz, for a long, long time, has had underrated playmaking skills as well. He's not just a shooter. I think he makes a lot of smart little reads and plays.

"Hughes is almost a transcendent skater in terms of his ability to move out there. That allows him to completely dictate play, to be in charge with the puck. Obviously, the transition game is what he's known for. He's going to transport a lot of pucks up ice and carry the puck end-to-end and create a lot of zone entries. But he's also become a much more dangerous player this year inside the offensive zone. I think that's probably the biggest development Luke has undergone this season is attacking a little bit more."

Dougie Hamilton's overtime winner lifted the Devils to a 3-2 overtime victory against the St. Louis Blues Sunday afternoon at Prudential Center.

Hamilton tallied at 1:12 of the extra frame. New Jersey also received goals from Ty Smith and Dawson Mercer.

"I was just trying to read that and see where the play was going, jump by my guy if possible," Hamilton said. "I was able to do that and Pav made a great pass. I just put it in."

St. Louis goal scorers were Tory Krug and Jordan Kyrou, both goals came in the third period to erase a 2-0 deficit. 

Prior to the Devils game against the St. Louis Blues, head coach Lindy Ruff offered some insight into the Devils infirmary and the progress his players are making in their individual roads to recovery. 

The most anticipated news was the updates surrounding forward Miles Wood, who has yet to play a game this season after undergoing hip surgery in early November. Today, Ruff updated Wood's status informing that Wood has been skating for a few weeks already and is "hopeful he can return to full practice within the next seven to ten days."

Mackenzie Blackwood, who remains on Injured Reserve with a heel injury, continues to progress as well, but Ruff did suggest that he is not as far along as Wood currently is. 

"Both are progressing," Ruff said, "I would put Wood ahead of Blackwood. Definitely (Blackwood's) progress is much slower."

Janne Kuokkanen is also on IR with a wrist injury and is progressing in his recovery but is not yet available to play. 

The Devils are playing the St. Louis Blues this afternoon at Prudential Center. 

You can watch on MSG+ or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

Read below for updates, highlights, tweets, commentary and more in our live in-game blog.

Follow live here with tweets, goal highlights and more

Reaching back to their memory bank as training camp opened at South Mountain Arena, the Devils had reason to be both motivated and angry.

They had been a dominating team during the previous (1997-98) season but exited the opening round to Ottawa faster than you can say "Heads will roll."

The disappointing loss to the Senators, coupled with Jacques Lemaire's brouhaha with the media prior to the final game in Ottawa, was enough for Lou Lamoriello.

The Boss' buddy - and Jacques and Lou did remain close forever - had to go and he did.

"We'll go in a different direction," Lamoriello announced; and he sure did. 

In May 1998 Robbie Ftorek was hired as Lemiare's replacement. Unlike his French-Canadian predecessor, Ftorek was a New Englander who preferred sweaters as his natural behind-the-bench attire.