The NHL’s hottest team heads into snowy New Jersey with first place in the Atlantic Division on the line. It’s the first of a weekend home-and-home series between the two teams.

It was just a week ago when the Pens defeated the Devils 5-1. New Jersey has won three-straight games since that loss in Pittsburgh.

Kris Letang didn’t travel to New Jersey and will miss his second straight game with a lower-body injury. The injury doesn’t appear to be a major one and Letang is considered day-to-day.

NOTEWORTHY STATS
Martin Brodeur will be playing in his 1,200th NHL game. Brodeur is 0-3-0 with a 4.70 GAA in his last three games against the Penguins. What’s even more amazing is that number would be much greater if he hadn’t been through three work stoppages.

Pittsburgh outshot the Devils 30-16 last Saturday.

Pittsburgh leads the NHL with 3.5 goals per game.

New Jersey leads the NHL in goals-against with just 2.1 goals-against per contest.

Since losing to the Penguins last Saturday, the Devils have outscored their opponents 10-3.

The Penguins have outscored their opponents 15-7 since beating the Devils last Saturday.

Evgeni Malkin has turned up his game recently and has at least two points in four of his past five games.

The Devils have just one regulation loss on the season and it’s to the Pittsburgh Penguins. New Jersey has at least a point in every other game this season.

RED-HOT DEVILS
Patrick Elias has six points in his past two games.

Adam Henrique has goals in each of his last two games. Henrique has three goals in just five games all season.

David Clarkson leads the Devils in goals (7) and has four points in during a three-game point streak.

GOING STREAKING:
It’s been over two years since fans have seen Sidney Crosby with a point streak this long. Crosby currently has points in six-straight games and is just two assists shy of 400 on his career.

James Neal is also riding a streak of his own with points in three-straight contests.
Neal and Crosby are not the only Pens players on a point streak. Chris Kunitz enters todays tilt with a four-game point streak of his own.

PROBABLE DEVILS LINES
Matteau-Zajac-Kovalchuk
Elias-Henrique-Clarkson
Carter-Gionta-Bernier
Barch-Josefson-Butler

Salvador-Fayne
Greene-Larsson
Volchenkov-Zidlicky