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Devils set to battle rival Penguins

Jan 29, 2008 - 2:31 PM Pittsburgh (27-18-4) at New Jersey (28-18-3) 7:00 pm EST

NEWARK, New Jersey (Ticker) - The Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils square off in the first game following the All-Star break separated by a single point in the race for the Atlantic Division title.

The Devils, 14-8 at home, are coming off a 4-3 home loss to Montreal on Thursday. New Jersey relinquished a two-goal lead in the third period in losing to the Canadiens for the second time in the last 20 meetings in New Jersey.

"It's totally unacceptable," Devils coach Brent Sutter said. "Everything it takes to win a hockey game, we didn't do. It was a total lack of effort from everyone."

Despite the loss, New Jersey trails only Ottawa for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Devils have won three of the four meetings this season against the Penguins, losing their only game at home.

The Penguins dropped their last two games before the break, including a 4-3 contest at Philadelphia on Thursday. Evgeni Malkin scored his 27th goal for Pittsburgh in its first game since learning reigning MVP Sidney Crosby will miss six to eight weeks with a high ankle sprain.

Left wing Zach Parise has three goals and four assists, while center Travis Zajac has three goals against the Penguins this season. Malkin and defenseman Sergei Gonchar have combined for four goals and six assists against New Jersey.