The New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders face off tonight at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY, in their final game before the Christmas break. Both teams are coming off losses to the Buffalo Sabres and are looking to gain ground in the Eastern Metropolitan Division. The Devils currently hold a record of 20-15-1, while the Islanders stand at 19-13-4. This is the second of four matchups between the division rivals this season; the Islanders won the first game 3-2 in overtime at the Prudential Center on November 10.

Here are the projected lineups for tonight's game:

New Jersey Devils (20-15-1)

Forwards:

• Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Dawson Mercer
• Ondrej Palat — Jack Hughes — Jesper Bratt
• Arseny Gritsyuk — Cody Glass — Connor Brown
• Paul Cotter — Luke Glendening — Stefan Noesen

Defensemen:

• Jonas Siegenthaler — Dougie Hamilton
• Luke Hughes — Brett Pesce
• Brenden Dillon — Colton White

Goaltenders:

• Jacob Markstrom
• Jake Allen

Scratched: Dennis Cholowski, Juho Lammikko, Angus Crookshank Injured: Zack MacEwen (lower body), Jonathan Kovacevic (knee), Evgenii Dadonov (wrist), Simon Nemec (lower body)

Jack Hughes recently returned to the lineup after missing 18 games due to a finger injury. He scored the lone goal for the Devils in their 3-1 loss to the Sabres on Sunday. Jacob Markstrom is expected to start in goal for the Devils, after Jake Allen started on Sunday.

New York Islanders (19-13-4)

Forwards:

• Anders Lee — Mathew Barzal — Simon Holmstrom
• Emil Heineman — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Jonathan Drouin
• Anthony Duclair — Calum Ritchie — Maxim Shabanov
• Kyle MacLean — Casey Cizikas — Marc Gatcomb

Defensemen:

• Matthew Schaefer — Ryan Pulock
• Adam Pelech — Tony DeAngelo
• Marshall Warren — Scott Mayfield

Goaltenders:

• David Rittich
• Marcus Hogberg

Scratched: Maxim Tsyplakov, Adam Boqvist Injured: Ilya Sorokin (undisclosed), Bo Horvat (lower body), Kyle Palmieri (ACL), Alexander Romanov (upper body), Semyon Varlamov (knee), Ethan Bear (upper body)

Mathew Barzal is expected to play despite missing the morning skate for maintenance. Ilya Sorokin is out with a nagging issue but is expected to return after the holiday break. Marcus Hogberg was recalled from the Bridgeport of the American Hockey League (AHL) on an emergency basis. The Islanders are dealing with several key injuries, including Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri, and Alexander Romanov.

The Devils are slight favorites to win, with moneyline odds at -125. The over/under is set at 6.0, with many predicting a low-scoring game. The Devils have won two of their last three away games, while the Islanders have lost their last three games.

With both teams looking to head into the Christmas break on a high note, expect a hard-fought battle at UBS Arena.