With back-to-back weekend victories in Ottawa and Montreal, the Devils have earned points in seven consecutive games (six of them wins), dating to Dec. 26. The streak has given Claude Julien’s crew a bit of breathing room in an Atlantic Division that had been tight at the top through the first three months of the season.

The Devils’ 54 points are six better than the second-place Rangers (48) and third-best in the Eastern Conference. The Devs will have a prime opportunity to add to that total and extend their winning streak when they play host to St. Louis tonight.

The Blues, who have earned the fewest points in the Western Conference (35), second-fewest in the NHL, have played far better hockey in the past few weeks after losing 11 straight games in late November/early December. St. Louis, which won 4-3 via shootout last night in Columbus, has won seven of its past 10, including back-to-back victories against Colorado and an impressive overtime victory against Buffalo in late December.

Still, the Devils hold the ultimate trump card in goaltender Martin Brodeur, who is putting together an MVP-caliber season and is 9-3-2 with a 2.52 goals against average lifetime against the Blues. Brodeur, expected to start tonight, notched his seventh shutout of the season Sunday, blanking the Canadiens, 3-0. He is on pace to best his career-high of 11 shutouts, set in the 2003-04 season.