After starting March with a 7-0-1 record, the past two games for the Ottawa Senators have been rough with a 6-3 loss against the Montreal Canadiens and a 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
Now, another pivotal Eastern Conference showdown awaits for the Senators against the New Jersey Devils. With the Senators having lost their past two games, they could be in danger of a cold surge in March in the middle of a playoff push.
Sens head to Newark to face Devils
The Senators travel to Prudential Center to face the Devils with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Thursday's game against the Avalanche was an ugly one for the Senators. With 2:31 remaining in the first period, Linus Ullmark was pulled from the net after allowing in four goals on 13 shots on goal.
In relief of Ullmark, Anton Forsberg made 18 saves. Dylan Cozens would break Scott Wedgewood's shutout hopes by scoring a powerplay goal with 4:01 remaining in the third period. With his goal, Cozens has recorded six points in seven games played since being traded to the Senators 15 days ago. Even with another regulation loss, the Senators do remain in the first Wild Card spot with 77 points.
As for the Devils, they come into tonight's game in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 37-27-6 record. In the Devils' last game on Thursday night against the Calgary Flames, the Devils allowed in four goals in the third period to fall 5-3 at home.
Jesper Bratt leads the Devils with 80 points and 60 assists. Nico Hischier leads the team with 29 goals. Jack Hughes, who has 70 points and played in both games against the Senators this season, is out for the season.
Both teams will be eager to win the season series against one another in the middle of the playoff race. In the first meeting in Ottawa on Oct. 17, the Devils won 3-1. In the second meeting in New Jersey on Jan. 19, the Senators won 2-1. In both games, Forsberg and Jacob Markstrom started in between the pipes against each other.
In the last meeting between the two teams in New Jersey, Forsberg made 25 saves to earn the win. Zack Ostapchuk and Artem Zub scored the goals for the Senators, but Ostapchuk is no longer on the Senators.