Greene Goes Home To Face Detroit

Andy Greene knows Joe Louis Arena well.

The New Jersey Devils (16-29-3) defenseman – a Trenton, Michigan native – played at “The Joe” several times while growing up and playing for Miami University of Ohio.

But he’s never played an NHL game there. Tonight will be his first as Greene leads the Devils into their game with the Detroit Red Wings (29-13-6).

“It’s a little exciting, but at the same time it’s another game,” Greene told Tom Gulitti of The Bergen Record. “We’re looking to have a better game than we did last game against the Panthers and go into the break with a good feeling and being happy with our last week here.”

In their last meeting — a 4-1 Detroit win — the Devils were outmatched from the opening faceoff. Both Tomas Holmstrom and Dan Cleary scored within the first two minutes of the first period. The line of Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Holmstrom combined for seven points.

Tonight’s matchup, however, features a far different Devils team. New Jersey carries a four-game win streak into Joe Louis Arena. The offense is clicking, with 28 goals in their past seven games. They’ve also improved defensively, allowing only 13 goals in the previous seven matchups.

Several key Devil players are experiencing turnarounds as well. Ilya Kovalchuk has eight points in his past seven contests, Brian Rolston, who was placed on waivers only last month, produced nine points in his last seven games, and Martin Brodeur is 5-0-1 in his last six starts.

Detroit, on the other hand, comes into tonight’s game injured and inconsistent. The Red Wings are only 3-3-1 in their past seven games, and are missing several key players. Datsyuk highlights the injury list, and many will not return for tonight’s game. Despite those issues, the Red Wings are still second overall in the Western Conference.

Greene’s last memory of Joe Louis Arena isn’t the greatest, coming in the finals of the CCHA tournament in 2006.

“We lost to Michigan State,” Greene told Gulitti. “We won the two games before that. I have a lot of good memories here. It’s always a fun atmosphere to be in. Obviously, growing up around here, coming here and playing here is a great experience.”