Hischier joins his team in Detroit, and the possibility of head coach Lindy Ruff continuing with a 7/11 lineup versus the Red Wings.
For a second straight day, the New Jersey Devils practiced on the main rink at Prudential Center. Nico Hischier participated in a second straight practice, and Ondrej Palat and Erik Haula returned after taking a maintenance day on Monday. Timo Meier and Tomas Nosek are still absent as they are dealing with respective injuries.
Below are some of the biggest news and notes from the team's final practice in Newark before flying to Detroit.
Hischier Traveling but Not Playing Versus Red Wings
The young captain is slowly working his way back from injury. He participated in two team practices this week and is working towards a return.
After Tuesday's practice, head coach Lindy Ruff said, "(Hischier) will come with us to (Detroit) to practice, but he won't be playing."
A Possibility of an 11/7 Lineup Against Detroit?
Head coach Lindy Ruff has deployed 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the past two games. Against the Pittsburgh Penguins, they earned a 5-2 victory, but in their last game against the New York Rangers, the club suffered a 5-3 loss.
Against the Rangers, the Devils lost Tomas Nosek in the first period, leading to New Jersey rotating 10 forwards for most of the game.
After practice, I asked Ruff if there is a possibility the team would continue to play with 11 forwards and seven defensemen against the Red Wings.
"We have discussed it. It's always a possibility," Ruff said. "I thought it fatigued our group (versus the Rangers) when you lose another guy, and you're down to 10 forwards. I saw some fatigue in our game, and I would hate for that to happen again."
When coaches talk about utilizing 11 forwards and seven defensemen in a game, they talk about how it works to the advantage of the forwards who get additional ice time. They never discuss how it impacts the defense, so I asked Jonas Siegenthaler for his opinion after the team's Monday practice.
"It's different," Siegenthaler said. "You know, sometimes you have double shifts, sometimes you sit for a little bit, but it's what they want, and we just gotta go out there and play the game. We've gotta be ready at any time. It is different for sure, but it is not that bad."
A few days earlier, after Colin Miller made his Devils debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins, he was asked about the 11/7 lineup, and a smile came across his face when he responded.
"The rotation is a little weird," Miller said. "I'm sure some of the guys on (defense) don't love it, but I think it went well (versus the Pittsburgh Penguins)."