THE SCOOP
The Devils come into tonight's contest against the New York Islanders a desperate team. With 67 points, the Isles are the target for a playoff spot with the fewest number of ponits among any of the eight qualifiers in the Eastern Conference.
They sit third in the Metro Division while both wild card teams have more points than them.
New Jersey is nine points behind the Islanders with 26 games to play. Any run to catch their area rivals has to start tonight.
The Devils have dropped four of their last five while the Islanders have won four of six.
New York's leading scorer is Mathew Barzal with 50 points while Bo Horvat's 23 goals leads the club. Goaltender Ilya Sorokin's 2.48 goals-against average ranks 10th in the NHL this season.
The two clubs made a trade last week when the Devils moved Ondrej Palat to the Islanders in exchange for Maxim Tsyplakov. This is the first game the two sides have played since the deal. Palat's played five games for New York and has a goal and two assists. Tsyplakov has played three games for the Devils with no points.
New Jersey made another move prior to the February 4 roster freeze deadline, adding big center Nick Bjugstad.
