Senators at Devils preview

SENATORS (6-10-1) at DEVILS (5-7-4)
7 p.m. ET; SN360, TVAS, MSG, NHL.TV

Mackenzie Blackwood will make his second straight start after making 30 saves in a 2-1 win at the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday. Blackwood is 3-1-0 with a 2.45 goals-against average and .922 save percentage in his past four games. New Jersey is 5-3-2 in its past 10 games after starting the season 0-4-2.
Ottawa is 3-2-0 in its past five games after an 8-2 loss at the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday. Goalie Craig Anderson is expected to start and will try for his first win since Oct. 27. He is 0-2-0 with a 5.30 GAA and .852 save percentage in his past three games.

Players to watch

Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk has eight points (four goals, four assists) in his past seven games.
Devils left wing Taylor Hall has 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in his past nine games.

They said it

"[Tkachuk] is a guy who can make plays but at the same time he's very annoying to play against. I think he's not afraid to get in the blue paint or get in the face of another player and that's something positive to have on your team." -- Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot
"Sometimes there are games you don't play well and find yourself with a couple of goals, but at the end of the day it's about our team winning. It's about getting back into the playoff race and that's really all I'm committed to so whether I'm scoring or it's another guy, it's really about us winning at this point." -- Devils left wing Taylor Hall

Senators projected lineup

Brady Tkachuk -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Anthony Duclair
Nicholas Paul -- Colin White -- Connor Brown
Vladislav Namestnikov -- J.C. Beaudin -- Bobby Ryan
Filip Chlapik -- Chris Tierney -- Tyler Ennis
Thomas Chabot -- Nikita Zaitsev
Erik Brannstrom -- Ron Hainsey
Mark Borowiecki -- Dylan DeMelo
Craig Anderson
Anders Nilsson
Scratched:Cody Goloubef, Mikkel Boedker
Injured:Scott Sabourin (nose), Logan Brown (shoulder), Artem Anisimov (groin), Jonathan Davidsson (lower body)

Devils projected lineup

Taylor Hall -- Jack Hughes -- Kyle Palmieri
Pavel Zacha -- Nico Hischier -- Jesper Bratt
Blake Coleman -- Travis Zajac -- Nikita Gusev
Miles Wood -- Kevin Rooney -- Wayne Simmonds
Andy Greene -- Damon Severson
Will Butcher -- P.K. Subban
Mirco Mueller -- Matt Tennyson
Mackenzie Blackwood
Cory Schneider
Scratched: John Hayden, Jesper Boqvist
Injured: Sami Vatanen (upper body), Connor Carrick (finger)

Status report

The Senators did not hold a morning skate. ... Logan Brown practiced Tuesday but will miss his sixth straight game. ... Vatanen skated on his own on Wednesday but will miss his second straight game.

Stat pack

Duclair has eight points (five goals, three assists) in his past nine games. ... Pageau has six points (five goals, one assist) in his past six games. ... Hughes doesn't have a point in his past two games, but had nine points (four goals, five assists) in his previous eight games.