Devils, Red Wings relaunch after break (Jan 31, 2017)

If the New Jersey Devils are going to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2012, it might be a result of their recent strong play on the road.

For the Detroit Red Wings to continue an incredible streak of postseason appearances, they'll need to pick up their play regardless of where they are.

Two teams looking to turn their respective fortunes around meet for the second time this season as the Devils face the Red Wings on Tuesday night at Joe Louis Arena.

New Jersey (20-21-9), which will try to avoid losing for the fourth time in five games, is last in the Eastern Conference with 49 points. Detroit (20-20-9), which also has 49 points, has dropped four straight -- three in a row in overtime and one via shutout.

However, the Red Wings are 13-3-2 in their last 18 against New Jersey, including a 7-2-0 record in Detroit. In those nine games, the Red Wings hold a 34-19 scoring edge while limiting the Devils to one power-play goal in 34 chances.

And the possibility of one or both teams eventually locking down a playoff spot is not completely hopeless. With two-plus months remaining, New Jersey and Detroit are only seven points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for the second wild-card spot.

"Just to be in the (playoff) mix right now, I'm enjoying it," first-year Devils left winger Taylor Hall told the team's official website. "Hopefully, as a team, we can keep growing and put ourselves in contention."

Continuing a strong stretch of play on the road might ultimately halt New Jersey's postseason drought. Though the Devils are 10-12-6 away from Newark, they've won four in a row and are 6-0-1 in their last seven. In those seven games, New Jersey has surrendered just 11 goals and killed 24 of 25 short-handed situations.

Hall was part of the Metropolitan Division team that split a $1 million prize at Sunday's NHL All-Star Game in Los Angeles. He leads New Jersey in assists (20) and points (31), and has two goals with three assists in a five-game points streak on the road.

However, in seven games at Joe Louis, all while with Edmonton, Hall has failed to record a point.

Frans Nielsen, who represented the Red Wings at the All-Star game, said the team must start playing better, especially after a 4-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

"We got a really important stretch coming up here now," he told the team's official website. "We have to put a streak together to catch those teams ahead of us. ... We can't have those games that we finished up with. We have to find a way to make a streak."

A winning streak might not be the only thing Nielsen was alluding to. The Red Wings have made the postseason every year since 1991, winning four Stanley Cups along the way.

Nielsen's best game of the season came against the Devils on Nov. 25. He scored twice in the first period and assisted on Mike Green's game-winner in Detroit's 5-4 victory.

New Jersey's Adam Henrique, who is scheduled to play in his 400th NHL game, scored the tying goal in the third period of that game. His four career goals versus Detroit are the most by any current member of the Devils.

The Devils added some depth to their blue line on Monday, recalling defensemen Seth Helgeson, Steven Santini and Karl Stollery from Albany of the American Hockey League.

While with New Jersey, Santini has been the most productive of the trio with two goals and three assists in 13 games. Stollery has three assists in eight games and Helgeson has yet to produce a point in five games.