NEWARK, N.J. -- Following a 3-1 win Monday in Philadelphia, a great road trip can turn into a perfect one if the Stars can find a way to come out of Prudential Center victorious against the New Jersey Devils.
Tuesday's contest caps off an Eastern Conference trek of four games in six days, including two sets of back to backs. The Stars opened the trip with 5-4 comeback victories over Buffalo and Detroit and scored a late go-ahead goal Monday against the Flyers.
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A win on Tuesday would vault the Stars over the idle Calgary Flames for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. As it stands, the Stars have the seventh best winning percentage in the conference (.564) with a 21-16-2 mark overall.
They've fared well against the Devils over the years, a trend they hope to continue Tuesday. Dallas has won three-straight games against the Devils and have earned points in 11 of its past 13 (8-2-3) games against them. At Prudential Center, the Stars have points in four of their past six outings (3-2-1).
If it's Braden Holtby's net, the veteran netminder brings a wealth of experience and success against the Devils. Holtby's fashioned a 14-1-2 record with a 1.86 goals-against average, .927 save percentage and four shutouts in his past 17 games against New Jersey and a 17-4-3 mark, 2.03 GAA, .924 SV% and five shutouts in 24 career appearances against them.
This is the finale of a four-game homestand for the Devils, who have gone 1-2 through the first three. They're coming off a 3-2 loss on Sunday to the LA Kings and have dropped five of their previous seven games (2-5-0). With a 15-20-5 record, New Jersey sits in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division.
Jesper Bratt leads the Devils in scoring with a career-high 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists). The former sixth-round pick of the 2016 NHL Draft is riding a five-game point streak with four goals and seven points over that span, including two goals against the Kings on Sunday.
Jack Hughes enters Tuesday's matchup with 10 goals and 23 points in 23 games this season. Selected as New Jersey's 2022 NHL All-Star, the 20-year-old forward has at least one power-play point (one goal, three assists) in three consecutive games, a career-first (and career high) for him.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.
