It's been an interesting 48 hours for defenseman Jay Leach.
On Wednesday, Leach was traded to the New Jersey Devils' minor league affiliate, the Albany Devils, with Steven Zalewski for Mike Swift and Patrick Davis.
Only a day later, he'll face his former employer.
Leach and the Devils (21-30-4) will look to stay hot against the San Jose Sharks (30-19-6) tonight at the Prudential Center.
Both teams enter tonight's matchup on second-half surges. San Jose, currently on a 9-0-1 run, sits tied with the Dallas Stars atop the Pacific Division. The Sharks, searching for their sixth straight win, haven't allowed more than three goals during their unbeaten streak.
The Devils re-discovered their winning ways in the second half in the season. After winning just 10 games during the first three months, New Jersey is 11-1-2 in their last 13 games. They've re-inserted themselves into the playoff race, but sit 13 points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the eighth seed.
The Sharks defeated the Devils, 5-2, on Oct. 27 in San Jose. In that game, the line of Danny Heatley, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau abused New Jersey, collecting a total of 13 points. Thornton recorded a hat trick before the end of the second period, and the Devils never stood a chance.
Ilya Kovalchuk, who has seven points in his last six games, was held scoreless in that contest.
Tonight's game marks the seventh game in 11 nights for New Jersey.