New Jersey Devils' center Jason Arnott insisted there's no extra meaning in tonight's game against the Nashville Predators.
"I just want to win," Arnott told Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record. "Get two points. That's what we need."
Arnott and the Devils will look to start a winning streak tonight against the Predators at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
Nashville and Arnott failed to reach a contract extension this summer, helping to facilitate a trade. On June 19, the Predators traded Arnott to New Jersey for a second-round pick and prospect Matt Halischuck. Arnott waived his no-trade clause to come back to the Devils.
"We discussed having an extension, but they couldn't come up with that right then," Arnott said to Gulitti. "So, it was a decision of mine to move on and start fresh somewhere else. And then I wanted to come back here."
Arnott's second stint with the Devils has been a successful one. The center leads all scorers with nine goals and is tied for third on the team with 15 points. Devils coach John MacLean praised the veteran center.
"He was brought in here to be a big center (6-5, 220) and to help in a support role and he's gotten some goals for us, some timely goals," MacLean said to Gulitti.
Nashville, only five points out of the Western Conference lead, carries a four game winning streak into tonight's game. Over the past eight games, the Predators are 7-0-1.The Devils sit on the opposite end of the spectrum. A perennial playoff contender, New Jersey sits at 9-19-2 on the season, good for 20 points and a place in the league's basement.
The Devils will look to reverse those struggles and win consecutive games for only the second time this season. New Jersey snapped a five-game winning streak against the Phoenix Coyotes, 3-0, Wednesday night at the Prudential Center. Ilya Kovalchuk powered the offense, recording his first multi-goal game as a Devil. Martin Brodeur returned to his old form, making some incredible saves to blank Phoenix.
Despite his team's struggles, Arnott doesn't regret his decision.
"It's been OK," Arnott said to Gulitti. "Obviously, we want to be in a different situation than we are. I chose to come back here and try to help win and to win. Things just haven't gone well for us as a whole. That's been disappointing, but I've enjoyed coming back. The guys in here are fantastic. I love living here. My family loves living here. So, in all aspects - one negative towards all the positives - it's been great."