The New Jersey Devils return to home ice tonight, set for a crucial matchup against the Detroit Red Wings.
Expect a thrilling, hard-fought clash: the Red Wings are 13-8-1 and the Devils 13-7-1, both tied at 27 points in the competitive Eastern Conference standings.
The Devils are back from a challenging five-game road trip, where they battled hard but finished 2-3-0.
Saturday night in Philadelphia, the intensity was high as the Flyers beat the Devils 6-3.
The Devils team has struggled with injuries, missing several key players.
However, head coach Sheldon Keefe provided updates to the media and The Hockey News’ Kristy Flannery during Monday’s morning skate.
Leading the good news, Keefe announced center Cody Glass is ready to hit the ice tonight against Detroit. Glass missed six games with an upper-body injury. He spoke with NJD.tv about his return.
“I’m back and dodged a bullet,” Glass said. “The original planning was different. Then we got some good news throughout the process. It just kept healing and getting better and better until I could play again. So, I’m happy about that.”
Next, Keefe confirmed that Colton White will return to the lineup.
“He has been solid defensively, and since he has left, we have been a little more chaotic. It is not just on his presence in or out, but he helps solidify that,” Keefe told Flannery.
Finally, Keefe reported that Brett Pesce has returned to the ice but will not play yet.
Lineup
With the three updates, the Devils' lineup from Monday morning skate looked like:
Meier - Hischier - Bratt
Palat - Mercer - Gritsyuk
Dadonov - Glass - Brown
Cotter - Glendening - Nosesen
Siegenthaler - Hamilton
Hughes - Nemec
Dillon - White
Markstrom
Allen
Markstrom is set as tonight’s likely starter after backing up Allen for the past few games.
Allen faced a wild test Saturday, allowing three quick goals past him in 24 seconds.
Injuries
The lineup has been adjusted several times this season due to injuries. Ahead of tonight’s game, the injured player list is below.
Devils:
J. Hughes (finger)
Glass (upper-body)
MacEwen (undisclosed)
Pesce (upper-body)
Kovacevic (knee)
McLaughlin (undisclosed)
The Red Wings have a much shorter list, with just two players.
Red Wings:
Soderblom (undisclosed, IR)
Edvinsson (undisclosed)
Players to Watch
Simon Nemec leads Devils defenders with 13 points this season.
Jesper Bratt leads the Devils with 21 points, including 16 assists. He has five assists in his last five games.
Dylan Larkin leads the Red Wings with 12 goals and 24 points.
Lucas Raymond leads with 16 assists and has eight points in his last five games.
The Devils are back home for their first game in five, hungry to extend their luck at the Prudential Center, where they have a record of 7-0-1 on home ice.
The two teams will face one another again on March 8 and April 11.
The puck drops at 7 PM as both teams look to add another win to their records.
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