Devils Give Update on Injuries/Illnesses

The Devils updated fans on injuries and the team’s COVID list today on their official app.

According to Sam Kasan, forward Nico Hischier, who was out with a lower body injury for yesterday’s loss at Boston, “skated on his own Wednesday and could return to the lineup Thursday when New Jersey hosts Columbus.”

Kasan quoted head coach Lindy Ruff as saying that “Nico was back this morning. Skated lightly on his own. He’s going to participate in tomorrow’s morning skate. The likelihood is if things go well, he should play for us.”

Kasan also updated on the status of defenseman Dougie Hamilton. He said that Hamilton had surgery for his “broken jaw and will be out of the lineup indefinitely.”

According to Kasan, “Hamilton’s return will be dependent upon many factors and the team hopes to have an update sometime in the future.” Ruff noted that it everything “depends on the severity and type of procedure they have to do.”

Finally, Kasan mentioned goaltender Jonathan Bernier and his season-ending hip surgery. He mentioned that Bernier had dealt with the hip issue since training camp and, although he attempted to battle through things, he had “exhausted every option to recovery” and “surgery ended up being the final outcome.”

Ruff spoke on Bernier saying that the goalie knew his hip was not “quite right, to where he ended up needing to have surgery.” Ruff also mentioned that Bernier wanted “to make a difference” wanted “to help win hockey games. He really felt the injury was holding him back from making a difference in the game.”

Kasan mentioned that Ruff gave credit to Bernier trying to play “through pain and discomfort early in the season when the Devils really needed him with Mackenzie Blackwood out. Despite his best efforts, the hip prevented Bernier from playing at the level of his true ability.”

Ruff told Kasan that the hip is “a pretty important joint for a goaltender. When you look at some of the struggles he had, you can understand, playing with pain, playing with aggravation, the effect that can have on your game. It’s a physical effect, but mentally you have to battle through all of that.”

Kasan also reported that Ruff is out of NHL COVID protocols. The coach told him that he had been staying in contact with the team while watching at home through Zoom. Ruff also “was on headset with coaches during games and communicated at every aspect with his coaching staff.”

He told Kasan that he “experienced ‘minimal symptoms’” while in protocol.

He commended his team and coaching staff Alain Nasreddine – who took over “head coaching duties”, Mark Recchi (who worked with the forwards along with Nasreddine) and Chris Taylor, who was on the bench overseeing the defense during Ruff’s absence.

The Devils ended up winning in overtime against the Edmonton Oilers and the Washington Capitals before falling to the Boston Bruins last night in their games without Ruff behind the bench.

Kasan, in a separate article, also mentioned another return from COVID Protocol. Forward Jimmy Vesey practiced this afternoon with the club.

Vesey had missed four games while in protocol.

Vesey, Kasan is reporting, “expects to be in the lineup Thursday when the Devils host Columbus.” However, Kasan did mention that “the lack of conditioning and exercise due to the COVID restrictions were noticeable” when he returned to skate on Tuesday on his own.

Vesey told him “I tried to do some activity, but not much you can do. To be honest it didn’t feel great (Tuesday). It felt a lot better (Wednesday) with more bodies and structure to the skate. I actually felt good today and I think I’m good to go for tomorrow.”

Vesey “had no symptoms” according to the article by Kasan.

Vesey noted that while he missed five days, the team also “just had four days off for Christmas, so I’ve been off for quite a few days. That’s the biggest thing, physically feeling in game shape so to speak.”

Kasan said he will try to simplify things when he gets back in the lineup “while gauging how COVID and the time off effected his play.”

Vesey told him “I’ll definitely try to play simple tomorrow. There will be some rust. I’m sure my legs won’t feel great at certain points of the game. That’s just part of the process of getting back. It wasn’t like it was long-term absence. Hopefully it comes back quick.”

Preseason: Devils Blow Past Rangers, 7-1

The Devils returned to the Prudential Center for the first time this season for their second preseason game of 2021-22. They came away with a 7-1 blowout win over their rivals, the New York Rangers.

We will begin in the nets where Jonathan Bernier got the nod to start in what was a gametime decision by coach Lindy Ruff. Nico Daws was backing him up and it was thought that he might see some game action, but Bernier ended up going the distance. He made 24 saves on the Rangers’ 25 shots against. He turned aside three of the Rangers’ four power play shots and both of their shorthanded attempts. He was 19-for-19 at even strength and had a .960 save percentage.

New York started Igor Shesterkin for the first half of the game. He was equal to 16 of the 20 Devils shots he saw for an .800 percentage. He did not see a shorthanded shot from the Devils, got two of the three power play shots he saw and was 14-for-17 at even strength. Adam Huska, a former UCONN Husky, was equal to 11 of the 14 total shots he saw, including one of two power play shots and 10-of-12 even strength shots. The Devils did not register a shorthanded shot on him. He finished with a .786 save percentage. The Devils totaled 34 shots on goal on the two New York goalies.

Dougie Hamilton made his Devils debut tonight, playing just as well as advertised. He wore an “A” on his jersey for the game.

The Devils scored early and often. PK Subban got the festivities off right when he scored 4:29 into the first period. Michael McLeod dug the puck out of the near corner and got it to Subban at the near point. Subban let loose a bomb that looked like it may have been tipped in front by Chase DeLeo, who was a screen in front with Tyce Thompson. It actually went in off of Rangers’ defenseman K’Andre Miller’s leg, but DeLeo did notch the secondary assist.

About two minutes later, at the 6:34 mark, Subban loaded Alexander Holtz up for a one-timer at the far faceoff circle. The shot was blocked but it bounced right to the stick of Janne Kuokkanen who was cutting into the high slot. Kuokkanen put the rebound home to make it 2-0 Devils. This goal came on the power play.

Thompson made it 3-0 at the 12:50 mark of the first when he grabbed a loose puck behind the Rangers’ net and wound it around the boards to Hamilton at the near point. Hamilton put the shot on net and Thompson, who had gone to the front to provide a screen, dove to put the rebound into the net.

Before the frame was out, Mika Zibanejad would get the Rangers on the board when he scored at the 16:41 mark on the power play. It came extremely fast into the man advantage for New York. Barclay Goodrow moved the puck from the far half wall to Nils Lundkvist at the point. He had a look and moved it to Zibanejad at the near half wall. He blasted a one-timer by Bernier to get the Rangers on the board before the first frame was expired.

But that was all they would get. Bernier shut the door on them from there on out.

In the second period, newly acquired Devil Tomas Tatar made it 4-1 when on a delayed penalty against the Rangers, he pinched up the far boards and cut up the wall towards the circle. He shot and beat Shesterkin off assists from Colton White (primary) and Pavel Zacha (secondary).

That was basically it for Shesterkin as he finished his night and Huska came in.

In the third, the Devils came alive. It started at the 7:26 mark when Zacha scored on the power play. It was tic-tac-toe from Tatar to Hamilton to Zacha at the far circle. Zacha snapped off a shot to make it 5-1 Devils. The Devils ended the game 2-for-4 on the power play while the Rangers were 1-for-5 with their only goal coming on the man advantage.

After this goal was the moment that the game (a preseason game!) will be remembered for. With Lauri Pajuniemi right at the doorstep, Bernier dove across his crease, left to right, and made a spectacular glove safe at point blank range. That helped keep it 5-1 and was certainly a highlight reel save.

The Devils would score their last two right in succession. At the 16:34 mark of the third, Jimmy Vesey scored against his former club unassisted when he grabbed a turnover by the Rangers in the neutral zone. HE flew in up the right-wing boards and had a partial 2-on-1. Instead, he elected to shoot and snapped a shot by Huska to make it 6-1.

Less than one minute later, Dawson Mercer grabbed a loose puck off of a turnover just inside the Devils’ blue line and was off on a breakaway. He made a nifty move to beat Huska and score making it 7-1, our final. That goal was also unassisted.

Team stat-wise, the Devils won 53-percent of the game’s faceoffs, were outhit 23-14, had less blocks at six to the Rangers’ nine, but had two less turnovers at 14 to New York’s 16.

Individually, Tatar, Hamilton and Subabn each had two points. Tatar and Subban with a goal and an assist each and Hamilton with two assists. Subban also led in shots with six. Vesey, Miles Wood and Jeremy Groleau each had three hits to tie for the lead in that category. Thompson and White each had two blocks, leading there. Takeaways were led by Wood and Jesper Boqvist with two each. Zacha and Wood both had three giveaways. McLeod led all Devils centers in faceoff percentage with 67-percent.

Next up, tomorrow, the Devils will travel to Bridgeport, Connecticut to face the Islanders at 2 PM. That game is only streaming via the Devils radio app. I will try to do what I can to get the recap written and up in a timely fashion.

Until then!