NEW JERSEY DEVILS vs PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
When: 7:00 PM  ET, Monday, November 5, 2018
Where: PPG PAINTS Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

TV: 7:05 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: PITTSBURGH , NEW JERSEY

Oddsmakers currently have the NEW JERSEY listed as 145-moneyline favorites versus the PITTSBURGH, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.5.

The Pittsburgh Penguins haven’t set the Steel City on fire with its play at PPG Paints Arena while the New Jersey Devils are ice cold when considered the road team this season. The Penguins bid to end a three-game home losing skid on Monday when they host the desperate Devils, who have dropped three straight to begin their seven-game road trip and six of seven overall (1-5-1).

Both Metropolitan Division teams are coming off their first shutout loss of the season, as Toronto cruised to a 5-0 triumph in Pittsburgh on Saturday while the New York Islanders skated to a 3-0 victory versus New Jersey. “You win a few games in a row and you feel good about yourself, but the league has a funny way of humbling you and right now we’ve been humbled,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan told reporters. New Jersey’s Taylor Hall took an optimistic view after New Jersey’s blanking, telling reporters that “we’d almost take that game than playing (poorly) and winning. … Right now, we’ll take the way we played.” The reigning Hart Trophy winner punished Pittsburgh in four outings last season, highlighted by capping a three-point performance by scoring on a breakaway 27 seconds into overtime of a 4-3 win on March 23.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New Jersey), AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh

ABOUT THE DEVILS (5-5-1): Kyle Palmieri has been held off the scoresheet in back-to-back games after erupting for 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in October. The 27-year-old tallied twice last season versus Pittsburgh while fellow forward Hall gashed the Penguins for three goals and four assists. Keith Kinkaid likely will be in net looking to end his woes outside of the Garden State, as he sports an 0-3-0 mark with a 4.45 goals-against average and .865 save percentage on the road.

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (6-3-3): Captain Sidney Crosby bids to turn the page after the team’s shutout against the Maple Leafs when he faces New Jersey, against which he recorded four points (three goals, one assist) last season to match Brian Dumoulin (one goal, three assists) for the team lead. “There’s not much to say with that one (versus Toronto),” the 31-year-old Crosby told reporters. “… We have to move on. There’s not much positive to take out of this one. We have to make sure that we’re better on Monday.” Fellow former Hart Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin, who saw his nine-game point streak halted on Saturday, had just one point in four encounters versus the Devils last season.

OVERTIME

1. Pittsburgh G Matt Murray has yielded at least five goals in four of eight appearances this season.

2. New Jersey C Travis Zajac is one assist shy of 300 for his career.

3. Penguins RW Phil Kessel, who is tied with Malkin for the team lead in goals (seven), had just one tally versus the Devils last season.

PREDICTION: Penguins 4, Devils 2

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NEW JERSEY DEVILS vs SAN JOSE SHARKS
When: 10:30 PM  ET, Monday, December 10, 2018
Where: SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, California

TV: 10:30 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: SAN JOSE , NEW JERSEY

Oddsmakers currently have the NEW JERSEY listed as 170-moneyline favorites versus the SAN JOSE, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

Setting up goals has not been Joe Pavelski’s forte this season, but scoring them has become a regular occurrence of late. The captain attempts to hit the 20-goal plateau for the sixth consecutive season in only his 32nd game when the San Jose Sharks host the New Jersey Devils on Monday.

Pavelski has notched only six assists in 2018-19 after registering his second-highest career total of 44 last season but has been tallying at a rapid pace. The 34-year-old recorded his team-leading 19th goal of the campaign – and sixth over seven contests – in Saturday’s 5-3 victory at Arizona, giving him at least one point in 11 of his last 14 games. New Jersey is wrapping up its three-game California trip after suffering a 6-5 shootout loss in Anaheim on Sunday. Kyle Palmieri registered his second consecutive two-goal performance and fifth overall this season while Marcus Johansson scored with 58 seconds left in the third period as the Devils earned at least one point for the third time in four contests (1-1-2).

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, MSG Plus (New Jersey), NBCS California (San Jose)

ABOUT THE DEVILS (10-12-6): Palmieri has become quite the goal scorer since being acquired from Anaheim in June 2015, as he is four tallies away from reaching the 20-goal mark for the fourth time in as many campaigns with New Jersey after topping out at 14 during his five-season stint with the Ducks. The 27-year-old had gone six games without a tally and netted just one in nine contests before the team landed in the Golden State. Reigning Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall has notched four assists in his last two games but remains one goal shy of 200 for his career.

ABOUT THE SHARKS (15-11-5): Lukas Radil waited many years to achieve his goal of playing in the NHL, but the 28-year-old Czech needed only six games to net his first tally in the league. Radil, who had split his entire career between his homeland and Russia before signing with San Jose in April, snapped a tie against the Coyotes late in the third period to become the 11th member of the team to record a game-winning goal this season. Logan Couture, who leads the team with 30 points, has collected four goals and nine assists over his last 11 contests.

OVERTIME

1. Sharks F Joe Thornton passed Steve Yzerman (1,514) for 18th place on the all-time games played list Saturday and is nine away from tying Brendan Shanahan (1,524) for 17th.

2. New Jersey C Nico Hischier has registered two goals and three assists over his last five games.

3. San Jose is 7-1-1 in its last nine contests at home.

PREDICTION: Sharks 4, Devils 2

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NEW JERSEY DEVILS vs PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
When: 7:00 PM  ET, Thursday, November 15, 2018
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

TV: 7:05 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: PHILADELPHIA , NEW JERSEY

Oddsmakers currently have the NEW JERSEY listed as 140-moneyline favorites versus the PHILADELPHIA, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

The New Jersey Devils’ fortunes away from the Garden State haven’t been kind this season, with their recent disastrous seven-game trek dropping the team’s road record to 1-7-0. The Devils look to change the narrative on Thursday when they make the short trek to Philadelphia for the second time this season to face the Flyers, who saw their six-game point streak (5-0-1) halted in their last contest.

Coach John Hynes was quick to credit Taylor Hall’s defensive play after the reigning Hart Trophy recipient collected two goals and two assists on Tuesday as New Jersey snapped a three-game skid with Tuesday’s 4-2 win over Pittsburgh. “When you look at how many shots he blocked, I think he blocked three or four shots,” Hynes said, per NJ.com. “That’s what you need to do when you’re coming out of the funk and you’re conceding some goals the way that we did on the road.” Philadelphia saw its three-game winning streak halted on Tuesday as it fell to 2-1-0 on its five-game homestand with a 2-1 setback to Florida. Jakub Voracek scored his team’s lone goal and had a tally and two assists in the Flyers’ 5-2 triumph over the Devils on Oct. 20.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG-Plus (New Jersey), NBCS Philadelphia

ABOUT THE DEVILS (7-8-1): Nico Hischier sustained an upper-body injury in Sunday’s 5-2 setback to Winnipeg, causing the top overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft to miss the tilt against the Penguins — his first of his NHL career — as well as Wednesday’s practice. The 19-year-old Hischier could draw back into the lineup on Thursday versus Philadelphia, against which he has four points (two goals, two assists) in five career meetings. Travis Zajac, who took Hischier’s place on the top line with Hall and Kyle Palmieri, has recorded 11 points (five goals, six assists) in his last 12 contests.

ABOUT THE FLYERS (9-8-1): New Jersey native James van Riemsdyk is in line to end his 16-game absence on Thursday because of a right knee injury he sustained after he was on the wrong end of a shot against Colorado on Oct. 6. “Obviously, when you’re out this long, you get that extra sense of excitement (to return),” said the 29-year-old van Riemsdyk, who scored 36 goals last season with Toronto. The potential return of van Riemsdyk could provide a jolt to a 28th-ranked power play that is just 2-for-28 in the last 10 games.

OVERTIME

1. Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux, who has three goals and five assists in his last four games, resides one point shy of 700 for his career.

2. Devils G Keith Kinkaid fell to 6-2-0 in his career against the Flyers after yielding three goals on 19 shots in last month’s encounter.

3. Philadelphia’s 30th-ranked penalty kill has permitted a power-play goal in 10 of the last 11 games.

PREDICTION: Devils 3, Flyers 2

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NEW JERSEY DEVILS vs OTTAWA SENATORS
When: 7:30 PM  ET, Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario

TV: 7:35 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: OTTAWA , NEW JERSEY

Oddsmakers currently have the NEW JERSEY listed as -140-moneyline favorites versus the OTTAWA, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

The New Jersey Devils earned a much-needed two points last time out and look to conclude their first set of back-to-back games of the campaign with a pair of victories when they visit the struggling Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. Brian Boyle recorded his first career hat trick as the Devils won 5-1 at Pittsburgh on Monday after dropping six of their previous seven contests (1-5-1).

Defenseman Will Butcher registered a season-high three points in the triumph for New Jersey, which had been outscored 15-6 while losing its previous three contests, and captain Andy Greene blocked four shots while making his 800th NHL appearance. The Senators, who have earned at least one point in their last six matchups (4-0-2) against the Devils, have faded since a strong start to the season – registering just one win in their last seven contests (1-4-2) after a dispiriting 4-3 overtime loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday. Ottawa surrendered a goal with 33 seconds left in regulation against the Eastern Conference-leading Lightning before giving up the winner just 14 ticks into the extra session. “As a group, collectively, we’ve got to take some ownership for our play and our results,” Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki told reporters. “It’s been a few too many years here for us where the players haven’t taken ownership. … We’re going through a rough patch here, and this is where it’s a true test of our personalities and a true test of the group we have in here.”

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New Jersey), TSN5, RDS2 (Ottawa)

ABOUT THE DEVILS (6-5-1): Kyle Palmieri set up a goal to increase his team-leading total to 15 points while reigning Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall notched his team-best 12th assist in Monday’s victory. Former third-round pick Joey Anderson recorded his first NHL point with an assist in his third game and Marcus Johansson registered his 200th career assist. Keith Kinkaid made 35 saves to post his sixth win of the season on Monday, which could give Cory Schneider (0-1-0, 3.24 goals-against average, .913 save percentage) the crease in Ottawa, but coach John Hynes reportedly has not committed to a starter.

ABOUT THE SENATORS (5-6-3): Ottawa has yielded at least four goals in six of its last seven contests after recording three straight victories and is last in the league in goals allowed at 4.21 per game. Defenseman Thomas Chabot has collected four assists in his last three contests to push his team-leading total to 17 points and Mark Stone (99 career goals) has set up five goals in the same span to rank second with 13. Ottawa’s defense corps is averaging one goal per game and rookie blue-liner Maxime Lajoie scored on Sunday to pull even with Ryan Dzingel for the team lead with five tallies.

OVERTIME

1. Ottawa LW Mikkel Boedker has recorded an assist in three straight contests after enduring a four-game point drought.

2. New Jersey C Travis Zajac is one assist shy of 300 for his career.

3. The Senators are 4-for-9 on the power play over their last three games and ranked fifth in the league (27.3 percent) through Sunday.

PREDICTION: Devils 4, Senators 3

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New Jersey Devils vs Edmonton Oilers
When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 12, 2017
Where: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta

TV: 9 p.m. ET, MSG-Plus (New Jersey), Sportsnet West (Edmonton)
PREDICTION: Oilers 2, Devils 1

Oddsmakers currently have the NEW JERSEY listed as 160-moneyline favorites versus the EDMONTON, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.

EDMONTON, Alberta — Taylor Hall is doing what he was expected to do when the New Jersey Devils acquired him last summer. He’s tied for the team lead in points, even though he’s missed nine games.

Adam Larsson is doing exactly what the Oilers expected of him when he was acquired from the Devils. He’s a solid first-pairing defenceman that Edmonton badly needed.

Really, it’s a trade that is working out for both teams. But, when the Devils visit Rogers Place Thursday night, Hall’s return to the city in which he began his professional career will be the game story.

Hall, who the Oilers selected first overall in the 2010 draft, was traded to the Devils last July for Larsson. This season, Hall has 25 points in 32 games for New Jersey.

Hall had 328 career points in 381 career games as an Oilers, putting him 17th on the franchise’s all-time scoring list.

“For Taylor to come back here, and he obviously had roots here for many years, I’m sure it’s not easy,” said Oilers coach Todd McLellan. “The fans here, the organization, the coaches and even his teammates obviously appreciated all the things he did for us during his time here — and we recognize that and welcome him back. But, when it’s time to play, it’s time to play.”

“He’s a good player, it was tough to see him go,” said Oilers right-winger Jordan Eberle, who has known Hall when he was 10 years old. “But I think we’re better as a team — and he’s doing well there. It will be interesting to see him play.”

When speaking to reporters, Hall, though, spoke about the game in Edmonton not as a standalone event, but as the first of a massive four-game road trip for a team near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

“We’re playing some teams that have some offense, are obviously going to pose a big challenge for us,” said Hall. “This is a road trip that’s probably going to define our season, and make or break it.”

The trip got off to an ominous start. The team’s charter to Edmonton was delayed five hours after the tow vehicle bumped the nose of the airplane the Devils were on.

The Devils go into Edmonton on a three-game losing streak, including a 2-1 overtime loss to the Oilers Saturday at Newark’s Prudential Center. That game was only close because of the play of Devils netminder Cory Schneider, who stopped 41 shots.

“This road trip is about getting our game back,” said Devils coach John Hynes. “We’ve lost three games. … So we have to get some things in order in our game and we have to a better job than we did in the last couple of games to be able to find a way to win games and get points.”

Since Saturday’s win over New Jersey, the Oilers have lost two in a row.

The Oilers can’t afford another slow start. Their two-game losing streak can be attributed to poor first-period efforts. In Sunday’s loss to Ottawa, they were down 2-0 by the 13:43 mark. In Tuesday’s loss to San Jose, the Oilers gave up a goal just 1:39 into the game.

“Not really ready to go, too slow, turnovers, no execution early in the game, then put your foot on the gas and go after a team,” is how McLellan categorized his team’s last two efforts.

So, while Hall’s return to Edmonton will create a buzz at Rogers Place, the Oilers can’t afford to get swept up in the moment and be on their heels for the first few shifts of the game.

On Wednesday, the Oilers recalled center Jujhar Khaira from their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield, Calif., sending center Anton Lander the other way. Khaira had two assists in 15 games with the Oilers in 2015-16.

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New Jersey Devils vs. Ottawa Senators
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 17, 2016
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario

TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG-Plus (New Jersey), Sportsnet360 (Ottawa)
PREDICTION: Senators 3, Devils 2

Oddsmakers currently have the Senators listed as 125-moneyline favorites versus the Devils, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators lost their first-line left winger and third-leading scorer when Mike Hoffman was suspended by the league for two games Friday afternoon.

Ottawa will be hoping a guy like Bobby Ryan can pick up the slack when the New Jersey Devils visit Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday night for the first of three games between the teams this season.

Hoffman, who has nine goals and 21 points in 28 games, was disciplined for cross-checking San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture in the back of the head Wednesday. That game also saw Ryan, a four-time 30-goal scorer, end a slump at 16 games with his fourth of the season.

“It was a big one I guess, it had been awhile,” said Ryan, one of a number of players whose productivity has taken a hit under the system of coach Guy Boucher. “We’re all frustrated by it, when you’re not scoring, but I think you guys talk about it and write about it and put much more emphasis on it. I don’t worry about it. As long as we’re winning, I don’t care. If I score one goal for the rest of the year and we make the playoffs, and make a run, I don’t care one bit.

“That being said, you hope there’s a domino effect and you can contribute.”

While the Senators (16-11-3) have taken just three of the available 10 points from their last five games, Boucher was pleased with what he saw in the 4-3 shootout loss to the Sharks.

Mike Condon will get the start in goal again on Saturday, while the blue line will be bolstered by rugged Mark Borowiecki, the NHL’s leader in hits who is coming off a two-game suspension of his own.

Meanwhile, the Devils (12-11-6) are also struggling to get some traction. Their 5-2 loss to St. Louis on Thursday was their fourth in a row, a span that has seen them outscored 19-5.

New Jersey’s difficulties have come on the road, where it is 4-10-4 and the only team in the conference with double-digit losses as the visitors.

“It’s a big concern, I mean we’re here to win,” said Devils goalie Cory Schneider. “We’re here to win games and make the playoffs and be relevant here in the standings, and when you go on losing streaks it’s hard to recover. It’s really hard to play catch-up later in the year with three point games, playing against your division all the time.

“It’s really difficult to make up ground, so we have to find a way to put the brakes on the skid and go on a streak of our own. It’s tough to lose three, four, five in a row and survive after that.”

Past history between the clubs favors the Devils, who were 3-0-0 versus Ottawa last season while outscoring the Senators 14-7. New Jersey has won its last three games at Canadian Tire Centre and is 6-2-1 against the Senators since the 2013-14 season.

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New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 11, 2016
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New Jersey), MSG (New York)
PREDICTION: Rangers 3, Devils 2

The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils pick up their Hudson River rivalry Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, meeting for the first time since Feb. 23.

These Metropolitan Division foes are headed in opposite directions.

The first-place Rangers won two straight, three of four and already have 19 victories and 39 points through the first 29 games this season.

The Devils, on the other hand, are struggling mightily in all facets of their game the past few weeks. After a surprising 9-3-3 start, New Jersey won three times since Nov. 17, posting a 3-6-3 record. The Devils are in the bottom three in the division with 30 points.

Facing a rival like the Rangers just might be the tonic New Jersey needs at this point to cure some of its ills. It has almost always been the case that the Rangers bring out the best in the Devils, who won three of four games against New York a year ago.

“When you play the Rangers, obviously with the rivalry, it’s always a motivational game,” Devils coach John Hynes said. “We’re going through a tough time right now, but we’ll look to be a better team against the Rangers (Sunday).”

New Jersey struggles on the road, posting a 4-8-4 record away from the Prudential Center. Sunday’s contest is the start of a four-game road trip for the Devils, and part of a stretch in which they play six of nine on the road.

In their most recent road outing, the Devils allowed a season-high 49 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. They followed that up on Friday with their first regulation home-ice defeat this season, 4-1 at the hands of the St. Louis Blues.

“We have to acknowledge why we haven’t played well and make sure we turn this around as quick as possible,” said veteran Devils forward Michael Cammalleri, who appeared in his 800th NHL contest on Friday.

While the Devils lost their last two games, the Rangers earned back to back road victories, 2-1 over the Jets in Winnipeg on Thursday and 1-0 in overtime over the Chicago Blackhawks 24 hours later.

Backup goaltender Antti Raanta started both those games and earned his fifth career shutout Friday in Chicago against his former team. Raanta has been terrific for New York this season, winning seven of his eight starts while posting a 1.83 goals-against average and .939 save percentage in 10 appearances.

However, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault did not commit to a third consecutive start for Raanta on Sunday, nor did he reveal if Henrik Lundqvist would return between the pipes. Lundqvist’s play has been inconsistent as his 2.55 goals-against average and .912 save percentage attest.

“In this league, the way things are now, every team needs two goaltenders to have success,” Vigneault told reporters Friday night. “We’re very fortunate that we have two goaltenders that can do a good job for us.”

The Rangers will again play without three injured forwards Sunday. Mika Zibanejad is out with a fractured fibula, while rookie Pavel Buchnevich has a back problem and Rick Nash suffered a groin strain earlier in the week.

Missing so many important players means the Rangers need others to step up, and that is a key to the Rangers’ success. The latest examples came in the last two games when the struggling Kevin Hayes, who has one point in his last seven games, scored the game-winning goal late in the third period against Winnipeg and defenseman Nick Holden netted the overtime winner the next night in Chicago.

“I like the fact that everybody’s been contributing,” captain Ryan McDonagh said. “For us, it’s about being gutsy, too, competing hard for pucks, and coming out with the two points. And we’ve been doing that pretty consistently all year.”

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New Jersey Devils vs Montreal Canadiens
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, December 8, 2016
Where: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG-Plus2 (New Jersey), SN360, RDS (Montreal)
PREDICTION: Canadiens 3, Devils 1

MONTREAL — It’s said that home is where the heart is. For the Montreal Canadiens, it’s also where the wins are.

A .500 team as the opposition, Montreal (17-6-3) has been dominant at the Bell Centre this season, where they’ve won 12 of 14 games and lost for the first time in regulation just a few weeks ago. Now, after a five-game road trip, they kick off a four-game homestand that begins with a tilt against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

The Canadiens are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues to close out the trip, a point lost after holding a 2-0 lead in the game. But while the team earned half of the 10 points on the table during their road trip, they’re pleased with their efforts overall.

“We wanted to do better and we wanted to come up with that win (in St. Louis) and get that extra point, but all of these games we battled really hard,” Max Pacioretty told reporters after the game. “It’s not always going to go your way. It’s not always going to be perfect. But, we liked the effort every night.”

The Canadiens have been relatively healthy through the first couple of months of the season but lately, the injury bug has begun to take a bite out of the group. After Alex Galchenyuk left the game against the Kings following a collision with center Anze Kopitar on Sunday, the Habs took another hit down the middle when David Desharnais, Galchenyuk’s replacement on Montreal’s top line, went down with an injury of his own.

The team announced Wednesday evening that both would be sidelined for six to eight weeks with knee injuries. If there’s a slight silver lining for the Habs, it would be the recent play of veteran pivot Tomas Plekanec. He scored against St. Louis to put Montreal up by a pair — his first goal in just over a month and second overall — and it was his shot that hit Paul Byron to open the scoring.

The Canadiens made a swap earlier in the day among their younger forwards, re-assigning Charles Hudon to and recalling Sven Andrighetto from the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps.

Montreal also re-assigned defenseman Mark Barberio, who dressed for the team’s last six games. That could open the door for Zach Redmond to make his season debut. Redmond was recently taken off injured reserve after recovering from a broken foot suffered in training camp but has yet to dress for a game. Meanwhile, defenseman Nathan Beaulieu remains on injured reserve.

After a rough go through the second half of November, the early days of December have been good to the Devils. New Jersey won just one of its final eight games last month but has kicked off the final month of the calendar year with two wins and an overtime loss.

Their most recent triumph came in the form of a 3-2 victory against the Vancouver Canucks in a game that turned into a chippy affair after a big hit from Taylor Hall led to Canucks defenseman Philip Larsen being taken off on a stretcher.

“I’m looking to make contact there but I never want to see a guy laying on the ice like that,” Hall told the New Jersey Record, while also noting that he tried to keep his arms in and make a chest-to-chest hit.

“I only know how to play the game one way and you’ve got to play it hard.”

Former Canadiens winger Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau, who has nine points in 25 games with New Jersey this season, had a weight lifted off his shoulder against the Canucks when he recorded his point, an assist, in seven games. He told the Record he met with coach John Hynes in the morning, who provided the veteran with a “wake-up call.”

“I’m just happy to help the team win, I’ve felt pretty useless the last few games,” he said. “I didn’t get much done. It’s nice to get on the scoresheet and make some plays again. I had a good chat with Hynsie this morning. He was good about it. It was kind of a wake-up call. I think you need it sometimes. Not only about not producing but, sometimes when you’re not producing, you get away from your game and you start looking for other things and you don’t compete as hard. You’re puck watching. You’ve got to get back to basics and I think I did that.”

Hynes announced that Cory Schneider will get the start against Montreal.

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First-year players from the U.S. and overseas convened in New Jersey this week to attend four days of classes aimed at helping them make the jump to the pros. The NBA and the players’ union collaborated to give them information on everything from financial planning and retirement to ways to handle relationships with women.

Towns was the No. 1 overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He called the experience and eye-opener. Towns says being able to hear from former NBA stars about the pitfalls that await was particularly helpful.

NBA senior vice president of player development Greg Taylor calls it the most important four days of a player’s career.

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