The Devils are coming off a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of their rivals the New York Rangers. The Devils played with the most energy they had all season and it still wasn’t enough to take down the Rangers at the Rock. There is barely any time to feel sorry though as the Atlantic leading Montreal Canadiens come to town. The Habs are coming off an OT win over their rival the Maple Leafs.

Keys to the Game:
For the Devils to even have a chance at making the playoffs they need to play with the same amount of energy and effort as they did Saturday afternoon. They need to be attacking and wear down teams with their forecheck. Where the team gets into trouble is when they get hemmed in their own zone. To beat a team like the Canadiens it is imperative to not let them set up and control play in the Devils end.

Players to Watch:
Alex Galchenyuk is one of the best young stars in the game. The skilled center is looking like the future of the offense in Montreal. Watch out for him to make some plays with his skating and creativity.

Taylor Hall has seemed a bit snake bitten lately. Hall does an amazing job opening up the ice for teammates and creating offense but has struggled in scoring goals. Hall has only scored 1 goal in his last 8 games. Look for him to be the one to beat the goalie tonight.

Prediction:
After that hard fought loss to the Rangers I could see the Devils coming out flat. I don’t like their chances against one of the better teams in the East, especially one who is fighting for a divisional title either. Canadiens win 4-1.

SB’s Record:
8-4