New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe provides updates ahead of the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
On Thursday night, the New Jersey Devils will wrap up their two-game road trip at Nationwide Arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The team hit the ice for an 11:30 A.M. practice, and as Catherine Bogart reported, Curtis Lazar was absent, with Kurtis MacDermid filling in his spot.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters Lazar "will not be available tonight."
"He got through the game well and had no issues in the game the other night," Keefe said, "but his knee got a little angry with him yesterday and today. He is going to give it some time to settle down. We will probably end up shutting him down until after Christmas.
"Nothing structural, no new injury or anything like that. Just a little bit of swelling that acted up with him pushing through the game, so we will give him some extra time."
Justin Dowling is on his way to rejoin the Devils after being assigned to the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Tuesday. The veteran appeared in Wednesday night's game against the Cleveland Monsters in Cleveland. He is expected to center the fourth line.
For the first time this season, the Devils will seek their fourth straight victory. During this most recent stretch, the team has allowed 20 or fewer shots in four consecutive games, dating back to their overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Entering tonight's game, five Devils players are on point streaks: Jesper Bratt (four games), Jack Hughes (three games), Brett Pesce (three games), Nico Hischier (two games), and Luke Hughes (two games).
The following lines and pairs were used during their morning skate:
Ondrej Palat - Jack Hughes - Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier - Nico Hischier - Dawson Mercer
Paul Cotter - Erik Haula - Stefan Noesen
Tomas Tatar - (Kurtis MacDermid) - Nathan Bastian
Brenden Dillon - Dougie Hamilton
Jonas Siegenthaler - Johnathan Kovacevic
Luke Hughes - Brett Pesce
Keefe confirmed that Jake Allen will start for the first time since Dec. 8 against the Colorado Avalanche. The veteran goaltender has a career record 4-1-1 against the Blue Jackets and a .905 save percentage.
The puck drops between the Devils and Blue Jackets at 7:08 p.m. Fans can watch on MSGSN or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.
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