Preview: Devils at Sharks

DEVILS (9-5-3) at SHARKS (9-8-1)
10:30 p.m. ET; MSG+, CSN-CA, NHL.TV

Devils team scope

New Jersey Devils second-line right wing Kyle Palmieri won't play because of an upper-body injury. He was on the ice Monday briefly before leaving the morning skate. The Devils were already missing forwards Taylor Hall, who is recovering from left knee surgery, and Michael Cammalleri, who has missed the past five games for personal reasons. "When you play with strong structure and you have a strong system and you get into injury situations, it's easy to plug and play because everyone knows the responsibilities," coach John Hynes said. "You still have a strong structure. You still play the detail, play a real strong team game. That's what we're about." Backup goaltender Keith Kinkaid will make his fourth start of the season. He's 2-0-1 with a 1.86 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage and hasn't started since Nov. 11 when he made 25 saves in a 2-1 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres. In his only career start against the San Jose Sharks, Kinkaid had a 30-save shutout in a 3-0 victory at SAP Center on March 10 last season. "I just want to building off my last start and the start to the season and keep it going," Kinkaid said. "Keep getting the wins. That's what ultimately matters."

Sharks team scope

The Sharks placed third-line center Tomas Hertl (lower body) on injured reserve and recalled center Daniel O'Regan from the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League. Hertl was injured Thursday in the second period against the St. Louis Blues. Hertl, who appeared to hurt his right knee in a collision with Blues forward Jori Lehtera, had surgery on that same knee as a rookie two seasons ago and injured it in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final last season against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said he doesn't know whether Hertl will need surgery or how long he'll be out. O'Regan, 22, will make his NHL debut, centering the fourth line. He's tied for the Barracuda team lead in points with 11. The Sharks drafted him in the fifth round (No. 138) in the 2012 NHL Draft. "It's really just a dream come true," said O'Regan, whose parents and sister will attend the game. "I've been dreaming of this opportunity for my whole life. I'm just really excited."

Devils projected lineup

Beau Bennett -- Travis Zajac -- PA Parenteau
Reid Boucher -- Adam Henrique -- Nick Lappin
Jacob Josefson -- Pavel Zacha -- Devante Smith-Pelly
Sergey Kalinin -- Vernon Fiddler -- Blake Pietila
Andy Greene -- Damon Severson
John Moore -- Kyle Quincey
Jon Merrill -- Ben Lovejoy
Keith Kinkaid
Cory Schneider
Scratched:Michael Cammalleri (personal reasons)
Injured:Taylor Hall (left knee), Yohann Auvitu (upper body), Kyle Palmieri (upper body)

Sharks projected lineup

Patrick Marleau -- Joe Thornton -- Joe Pavelski
Joonas Donskoi -- Logan Couture -- Joel Ward
Mikkel Boedker -- Chris Tierney -- Matt Nieto
Micheal Haley -- Daniel O'Regan -- Tommy Wingels
Paul Martin -- Brent Burns
Marc-Edouard Vlasic -- Justin Braun
Brenden Dillon -- David Schlemko
Martin Jones
Aaron Dell
Scratched:Dylan DeMelo, Kevin Labanc
Injured:Tomas Hertl (lower body), Melker Karlsson (left ankle)

Status report

Auvitu skated but will miss his third straight game. ... Hynes said he doesn't know whether Cammalleri will rejoin the team when it returns to New Jersey after completing its four-game road trip Monday. ... Labanc will be a healthy scratch after starting six straight games to begin his NHL career. ... Karlsson will miss his fourth straight game but skated on his own Monday and is day to day. ... Marleau will skate on the top line with Thornton and Pavelski. He moved from the third line to Thornton's line in the third period of a 3-2 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday.

Who's hot

Wingels has three goals, including two game-winners, in his past five games. ... Pavelski has a goal and an assist in his past two games. ... Moore has two goals and an assist in his past four games.