Anaheim
6th Pacific29-33-8-1
New Jersey
8th Metropolitan28-29-6-6
Prime, MSG
Anaheim @ New Jersey preview
Prudential Center
Last Meeting ( Jan 19, 2019 ) Anaheim 3, New Jersey 2
The New Jersey Devils play their first game without Taylor Hall on the roster Wednesday when they host the Anaheim Ducks. Hall, who didn't dress in Friday's 3-1 loss at Colorado and Saturday's 2-1 victory at Arizona as a precaution, was traded to the Coyotes on Monday with Devils general manager Ray Shero telling reporters that it wasn't a difficult decision because of their place in the standings.
"This was a decision we made that is what's best for us as to where we are," Shero said. "It may have been a harder decision if we were five or three points out of a playoff spot or at the (trading) deadline; then what do you do? I don't think that was that hard a decision based on where we want to go and making sure we have assets coming to us that we like." New Jersey is second-last in the NHL standings and with no immediate help from the trade, it appears to have entered a full rebuild mode. While the Devils' victory over Hall's new team snapped a seven-game slide (0-6-1), the Ducks kicked off a four-game Metropolitan Division road trip with a 4-1 loss at Philadelphia on Tuesday. The setback came at an extra cost as Troy Terry left the game after taking a knee-on-knee hit from the Flyers' Nicolas Aube-Kubel, who was penalized.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Anaheim), MSG Plus (New Jersey)
ABOUT THE DUCKS (14-16-4): Rickard Rakell scored Tuesday and has two of his 10 goals in the last four games, and is tied for the team lead in points (25) with captain Ryan Getzlaf (10 goals). Jakob Silfverberg (club-high 12 goals, 24 points) and Hampus Lindholm assisted on Rakell's tally with Lindholm (14) moving within one of Getzlaf and Rakell on the assist list. Ryan Miller (4-2-2, 3.00 goals-against average, .908 save percentage) is expected to play Wednesday after John Gibson stopped 27 shots against Philadelphia.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (10-17-5): Kyle Palmieri has scored twice in his last four games and boasts a team-most 12 goals while he inherited the club lead in points (20) with the departure of Hall's 25. Blake Coleman is next with nine goals as New Jersey scores the second-fewest per game in the league. The Devils also allowed the second-most goals per game through Monday with Mackenzie Blackwood (9-9-4, 2.85, .908) feeling the brunt of a struggling defense.
OVERTIME
1. Anaheim is 5-for-15 on the power play in the last four games and has the fourth-worst unit in the league - two spots ahead of New Jersey, which is 0-for-10 in its past three contests.
2. New Jersey D P.K. Subban (five points, minus-13) hasn't hit the scoresheet since scoring Nov. 2.
3. The Ducks have won three straight meetings with Getzlaf and Silfverberg each scoring twice during a pair of one-goal victories last season.
PREDICTION: Devils 3, Ducks 2