MORNING SKATE RECAP
DALLAS, TX - The Devils held a full morning skate at Dallas’ American Airlines Center ahead of facing the Stars.
With the absence of Jack Hughes, who was injured late in the third period of Sunday’s game in Vegas, the Devils have done a complete overhaul of their line combinations. They used the following workflow at the morning skate…
Meier - Hischier - Bratt
Palat - Mercer - Tatar
Dowling - Haula - Noesen
Cotter - Lazar - Bastian
Hamilton – Hughes
Pesce - Kovacevic
Dillon - Nemec
(MacDermid) - Casey
“There’s going to be lots of opportunity to have other people step up and do different things and play different spots with different people,” Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “That has some benefits as well. We’ll press on today. We’re playing against a team that’s been playing without very important people too and they don’t miss a beat. That’s what elite teams do. That’s our challenge and our opportunity.”
Jacob Markstrom was the first goalie off the ice, indicating he’ll get the start in goal.
No Hughes Update
The Devils lost superstar center Jack Hughes to an injury late in the third period of a 2-0 loss to Vegas on Sunday night. The team didn’t have any new information regarding his situation.
“He’s continuing to be evaluated. We don’t know the full extent of it yet,” Keefe said. “We’re expecting an update as a result of some tests that he’s had done, but we don’t have those results quite yet.”
No Hughes, No Excuses
There’s no doubt that the Devils will miss the presence of Hughes, who leads the team in goals and scoring. However, injuries are part of the game, and the Devils will ice the team that they have.
“Jack is a very important player and the whole group was feeling for him the other night, myself and the coaching staff included,” Keefe said. “We’ll see how things go here, but after a day off yesterday they’re coming in with a fresh mind today. We played without (Jacob) Markstrom, or without Nico (Hischier), or playing without (Jonas) Siegenthaler. The guys recognize that they have a job to do. We just have to be better as a group to make up for the loss.”
“Everybody knows you have to give more, especially now,” forward Timo Meier said. “No matter the situation we’re in anyway at this point in the season, 20 games left and pushing for a playoff spot. You’re going to face adversity. Just like we have, we have to keep pushing. Our competitiveness has to be very high. Everyone has to add some more to their game. But not overcomplicate stuff. Play the way we know we can play and we’re going to be fine.”
Every team is affected by injuries in the NHL. The test of a good team is the ability to handle injuries while sustaining good play on the ice.
“That’s what good teams do,” Keefe said. “You want to be a team that can sustain itself and its game no matter what’s happening. We’ve had signific injuries of late. We have been able to play through. Yet our team game hasn’t been where we want it to be for the last while. Team game has to get better, individuals have to get better.”
“We have to dig in and find a way. That’s what good teams do when a big player goes out,” captain Nico Hischier said. “They find another gear. They find a way to play for these guys that are not in the lineup. We’re trying to do that here.”
