NEWARK, N.J. -- New Jersey Devils center Jacob Josefson will replace an injured Travis Zajac in the lineup on Saturday when the team hosts the Philadelphia Flyers at Prudential Center (7 p.m. ET).

Devils coach Pete Deboer confirmed following his team's optional skate that Zajac did not feel good enough to play.

"Travis is day-to-day and a decision has not been made on whether or not he will join the team in Minnesota [to face the Wild on Sunday]," DeBoer said.

Zajac appeared to sustain an ankle injury during practice Friday. According to reports, the veteran center tripped and fell during the early stages of practice and was replaced by Josefson.

NEWARK, N.J. -- New Jersey Devils goalie Keith Kinkaid will serve as backup to Martin Brodeur for the third straight game on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers at Prudential Center (7 p.m. ET).

Devils coach Peter DeBoer made the announcement during his pregame meeting with the media.

DeBoer said Schneider, who is dealing with a lower-body injury, will remain on injured reserve.

Schneider had declared himself ready to go following practice Saturday morning.

"I'm feeling good," Schneider said.

Schneider sustained his injury in a loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 24. There is no timetable on his return.

NEWARK, N.J. -- Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Hal Gill will make his season debut Saturday against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center (7 p.m. ET).

Gill, who signed a free-agent contract with the Flyers on Oct. 1, has two goals and 13 points in 52 games against the Devils.

Flyers coach Craig Berube said Gill would be paired with Andre Meszaros, who is making his second appearance in the past eight games. Scratched from the lineup are defensemen Luke Schenn and Erik Gustafsson.

"I just want to shake things up," Berube said.

With Vincent Lecavalier (facial contusion) and Steve Downie (concussion) out, Berube will have Claude Giroux centering Scott Hartnell and Jakub Voracek on the top line.

SAN JOSE -- San Jose Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle will return to the lineup Saturday against the Phoenix Coyotes after missing seven games with a concussion.

Boyle hasn't played since being knocked out Oct. 15 during a game against the St. Louis Blues. Maxim Lapierre hit Boyle from behind and sent him face-first into the boards.

Boyle has been skating for 10 days and took part in two regular practices during that span. He said he feels 100 percent healthy, but he hasn't taken a real hit since being injured.

"I was pretty lucky," Boyle said after the Sharks' morning skate. "It was a pretty scary incident, but the symptoms were pretty mild. I think it's important for me to get out there and get involved physically early, hopefully, and try and put that image that I have behind me."

The New York Rangers showed no mercy against a Buffalo Sabres team that came into Madison Square Garden on Thursday having lost five of its previous six games. The Rangers pounced, firing 38 shots at Ryan Miller through the first two periods on their way to a 2-0 win.

The Rangers are hoping to have the same jump Saturday night against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes, who have lost four straight games after dropping a 3-1 decision against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night.

The Rangers did not play Friday and held an optional skate Saturday.

"That is one of our keys for tonight. Carolina played last night and they travelled," Rangers assistant coach Ulf Samuelsson told the Rangers website. "So we want to come out in full speed and come out as fast as possible."

DENVER -- A two-time Stanley Cup champion goalie with the Montreal Canadiens, Patrick Roy will face his former team for the first time as Colorado Avalanche coach Saturday at Pepsi Center.

"I've been saying to everybody, it's just another game, but deep inside I guess it's not," Roy said Saturday morning. "It's always special playing against a former team. But I have so much respect for them. Things are so much different than when I was traded."

Roy left Montreal on bad terms when he was traded to the Avalanche on Dec. 6, 1995. He helped the Avalanche to two Stanley Cup championships before retiring after the 2002-03 season. The Avalanche retired his No. 33 jersey in October 2003 and the Canadiens did the same five years later.

"I'm so happy to have a good relationship with the Montreal Canadiens," Roy said. "When they retired my jersey, I appreciated that. It was great for me to see my jersey there. I was happy that (Canadiens general manager) Marc Bergevin gave me a call. I respect him a lot the way he handled the situation. Even now I speak to him on the phone here and there but always with a lot of respect."

EDMONTON -- Darren Helm will return to the Detroit Red Wings lineup, and goaltender Petr Mrazek will make his first NHL start of the season Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers.

Helm has played one game in 18 months due to injuries dating to March 2012. The center has battled a knee injury, lacerated forearm, back problems, and most recently groin issues.

"There were days where I was really uncertain this day would ever come and whether or not I would be playing again," Helm said. "There were some days of doubt, and I'm really happy to be back."

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Tyler Toffoli was deep asleep when Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi tried his cell phone Thursday night several times to give him and teammate Linden Vey the big news: They were being recalled from the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League because of an injury to Jeff Carter.

"I was taking a nap and I turned over and I had like six missed calls," Toffoli said.

"I was confused. I had a 310 [area code] number [on my phone]. I didn't have his number on my phone. I didn't really know what to expect, and then once he picked us up [in the car], we were just trying to go through our heads and see what we did wrong for Dean have this meeting with us. Fortunately, it was a good meeting."

NEWARK, N.J. -- Philadelphia Flyers forward Steve Downie is out indefinitely with a concussion, and forward Vincent Lecavalier is day-to-day with facial injuries sustained during a 7-0 loss to the Washington Capitals on Friday.

Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren provided the updates prior to the game against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday (7 p.m. ET) at Prudential Center.

WINNIPEG -- Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews makes his hometown return when his team plays the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre on Saturday.

Toews met with the Winnipeg media Saturday morning before the Blackhawks-Jets matinee that will be his first NHL regular-season game in his hometown since the NHL returned to Winnipeg in 2011.

Toews played college hockey at the University of North Dakota, a short drive from Winnipeg, and played a 2010 preseason game here with the Blackhawks, but opportunities for him to play close to home have been limited.

"It will be an emotional game," Toews said. "It's kind of weird being back here during the season."