(SportsNetwork. Thomas Vanek Jersey .com) - A pair of struggling Metropolitan Division clubs will try to record a win before the Christmas break, as the New Jersey Devils host the Carolina Hurricanes in Tuesdays clash at Prudential Center. Carolina and the Devils enter this tilt as the bottom two teams in the division and they have combined for only a total of five victories in December. New Jersey has owned the Hurricanes in recent matchups, winning four straight and five of the last six encounters, including a 2-1 win in Raleigh on Dec. 8. The Devils have claimed seven of the past nine meetings in the Garden State. The Hurricanes, who are in the Eastern Conference cellar with 22 points, have lost eight of their last nine games and were recently swept by the New York Rangers in a home-and-home series. Carolina earned a point in the home portion when it dropped a shootout decision against the Rangers on Saturday, but the Canes then lost 1-0 in regulation the following night in New York City. The Hurricanes fired only 18 shots at Cam Talbot on Sunday and Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh scored the games only goal just 4:10 into the first period. Anton Khudobin played well for Carolina in the loss, making 30 saves. He is 0-8-2 this season and hasnt won since April 13. We struggle to score, period. When you get a good goaltending performance, youd like to get a point, if not two, out of it, head coach Bill Peters said. Dobby (Khudobin) has done that for us a few times this year, but unfortunately we havent scored enough for him. Its frustrating, for sure. Cam Ward expects to be back in net tonight for Carolina. He is 9-14-2 with a 2.79 goals against average against New Jersey for his career. Sundays loss was the fourth straight road setback for the Canes, who have a dismal 3-13-2 record as the guest this season. Carolina will complete a three- game road trip when it faces Tampa Bay on Saturday. The Devils lost for the sixth time in seven games on Saturday when they lost a 4-0 home decision against Washington. New Jersey is 1-2-0 on a four-game homestand and just 4-6-4 as the host on the season. Nicklas Backstrom scored a pair of goals and Alex Ovechkin notched a highlight-reel tally to help the Capitals cruise to Saturdays win in Newark. Cory Schneider was back in the net for the Devils, who were coming off a 3-2 shootout win over Tampa Bay behind rookie Keith Kinkaids first NHL win on Friday night. Schneider, who has started 31 of 34 games for New Jersey this season, finished with 17 saves. Wed all like to be more consistent, from me on out, said Schneider. I think as a group we can all be better every night. Schneider is 4-1-0 with a 1.81 GAA in five career games against the Hurricanes. New Jersey is hoping to get forward Mike Cammalleri back tonight after he sat out the last four games with a lower-body injury. Cammalleri, who leads the Devils with 11 goals, practiced on Monday and is questionable for tonight. Fellow forwards Patrik Elias and Martin Havlat sat out Mondays practice due to illness. Both players are being tested for them mumps, a disease that has touched many NHL teams this season, including New Jersey. Ryan Suter Wild Jersey . Louis Blues return to top spot in the TSN.Thomas Vanek Wild Jersey . Instead, there is whats being called Native Areas. This is how Donald Ross created the course and this is how Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore restored it.Rather than being one-dimensional and having to hack it out of the rough, hitting it off the fairway now means a bit of a lottery. LAS VEGAS -- Canelo Alvarez gets a pass, if only because everyone who fights Floyd Mayweather Jr. gets a pass. Lose a second fight to someone not named Mayweather, though, and the red-haired Mexicans star could begin to fade. "I learned a lot from fighting Floyd, but Im ready to get back in the ring to maintain the path that I was on before," Alvarez said. "This is what I love to do." The path Alvarez was on took a detour in September when Mayweather dominated him over 12 rounds, handing Alvarez his first loss. He gets a totally different type of opponent Saturday night, taking on slugger Alfredo Angulo in a junior middleweight fight that likely wont be wanting for action. The story line against Mayweather was whether a young and strong champion could solve a puzzle no other boxer had been able to. The story line against Angulo will be whether Alvarez can come back from the loss and establish himself again as one of the stars of the sport. "What happened in September is in the past," Alvarez insisted. "Im fully concentrated on this fight." Alvarez didnt pick a walkover for his comeback fight, the first of what he hopes to be three bouts this year. Angulo is a rugged and hard-hitting contender who may come into the ring as a big underdog but will have more than just a punchers chance. Angulo was stopped in his last fight by Erislandy Lara after his left eye swelled shut in the 10th round. But he had knocked Lara down twice earlier and was holding his own before suddenly turning his back to Lara in a sign he couldnt go on. "Im ready to chase him or fight him like a true Mexican warrior," Angulo said. "I plan to test him like hes never been tested before. I dont think anyone has ever hit Canelo as hard as Im going to hit him." The fight is part of a pay-per-view card on Showtime that was supposed to include a fight between IBF light middleweight champion Carlos Molina and challenger Jermall Charlo. That fight was cancelled Friday, though, while Molina remained in a Las Veegas jail on a 2007 felony warrant for failing to register as a sex offender. Mikko Koivu Jersey. Promoters elevated a lightweight fight between Ricardo Alvarez, brother of Canelo Alvarez, and Sergio Thompson to the televised spot instead. Alvarez weighed in at 155 pounds Friday, the contract limit, to 154 1/2 for Angulo. Angulo (22-3, 18 knockouts) has had his own issues with jail, spending eight months at a detention facility in California after turning himself in for being in the U.S. on an expired visa. The native of Mexico says he has since cleared up his immigration issues, and devoted himself to his boxing career at the age of 31. "There were a couple times when I was in the immigration detention centre that I wanted to quit," Angulo said. "But my team of lawyers always motivated me, wouldnt let me stay down for too long and kept telling me that justice would prevail and that I shouldnt give up. I always dreamed of being a c it is. I am so ready for Saturday." Alvarez (42-1-1, 30 knockouts) was overmatched in his fight against Mayweather, losing almost every round and never being able to figure out how to get inside Mayweathers defence. He vowed to use his first defeat as a learning experience, though, and wants to regain the stature that has made him a reliable pay-per-view attraction in recent fights. To do that he must win -- and win impressively -- against a fighter who might have more guts than talent. "Angulo presents a difficult challenge because hes a fighter who can punch and take a great punch," Alvarez said. "I know I have to prepare and establish my game plan early. But you know how it can be with game plans. Sometimes, once a fight starts, you have to do what you have to do to win." Angulo said that is just one of the reasons the fight should be an entertaining one, no matter how long it lasts. "Style-wise, this is a great matchup for the fans and both of us," he said. " Fans are going to get a great fight." wholesale nfl jerseyswholesale jerseys ' ' '
