(SportsNetwork.com) – The Minnesota Wild have been outscored by eight goals
over a three-game losing streak, while the Devils have matched a season high
with four consecutive losses.
The slumping teams will try to get on track Tuesday night when the Wild visit
the Devils and Prudential Center.
Minnesota has netted just two goals over its losing streak while giving up 10
and will play a third game in a row tonight without forward Zach Parise, who
is out with a concussion.
Parise leads the Wild with 10 points off four goals and six assists and was
able to practice on Monday, but won’t face his former team for the third time
since signing a big free agent deal with the Wild prior to the 2012-13
campaign.
Jason Pominville netted his fourth goal of the season in Saturday’s 4-1 loss
to Montreal, while Darcy Kuemper yielded all four goals on 31 shots.
“That’s frustrating when you’re losing games the way you did last year,” said
Minnesota head coach Mike Yeo. “I would think that we’ve learned those lessons
and use that knowledge to turn things around.”
The Devils got a key piece to their lineup back on Monday night, but the
return of Mike Cammalleri was not enough in a 4-2 defeat to the Boston Bruins.
Cammalleri had missed the previous six games with a head injury and picked up
two assists while skating on a line with Jaromir Jagr and Travis Zajac.
Zajac had a goal and an assist and Jagr netted the 708th goal of his career,
tying him with Mike Gartner for sixth place in NHL history.
“You know, I thought Jagr comes and he always works. He always tries,” said
New Jersey head coach Peter DeBoer. “I thought that line got some things
going. I thought Cammalleri made a difference tonight … so it’s nice to have
him back.”
Cory Schneider allowed all four goals on 23 shots in defeat.
The Devils will try to avoid losing five in a row for the first time since
their 0-4-3 start to last season and DeBoer may give 25-year-old Keith Kinkaid
his first career NHL start. Kinkaid has appeared in three games before in a
relief role.
Kuemper, meanwhile, has never before faced the Devils, who halted a three-game
slide to the Wild with a 4-3 overtime victory at home in the most recent
encounter on March 20.
Minnesota owns just one victory and a tie in seven trips to New Jersey.
