PITTSBURGH, Pa. --The Devils held an optional morning skate at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Though the lineup couldn't be determined, injured players Dougie Hamilton, Jesper Bratt and Andreas Johnsson still appear poised to return to the lineup Thursday evening against the Penguins.
Devils head coach Lindy Ruff noted that goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (heel) has had another procedure (not surgery, but an injection) and is working to get back into the lineup before the season's end.
"He's working hard in another phase of his rehab," Ruff said. "He had a procedure done. The goal is to try to get him back between the pipes. Whether that happens or not depends on how this rehab goes."
Success
The Devils are 1-2 against the Penguins, but every game has been close. New Jersey also had some success against Pittsburgh last year. And the team's style of play is one reason Ruff thinks they both matchup well.
"You have two teams that have similar qualities," Ruff said. "You have good offensive players, you have good speed on different lines. The matchup for us has been - I wouldn't say ideal - but they've got a Malkin and Crosby and we've been throwing a Hughes and Hischier at them. They may have a little bit more speed on their backend, but we have Hamilton back tonight that should even that out too."
The last time the two teams met in Pittsburgh was Oct. 30 with New Jersey picking up a 4-2 victory.
"We played a good game and took advantage of some offensive opportunities," Ruff said. "Even looking back at that game we had some opportunities we missed that we thought might hurt us by the end of the game.
"We've played well against Pittsburgh. We've limited the opportunities."
C-W Flip
The Devils have used several of their centers at wing, whether it was Pavel Zacha or Jesper Boqvist. But now they've even tried Hughes and Dawson Mercer at the position. Recently, Mercer recorded a career-high three points (1G-2A) against Tampa Bay while playing alongside Hughes and Yegor Sharangovich.
"Dawson is comfortable playing the wing," Ruff said. "I think he likes the opportunity playing with Jack. It opens up the ice. They've got some good speed. They like playing with each other. They've fed off each other a little bit. Hopefully we can continue to play that."
The Devils play a zone marker coverage in the defensive zone. Meaning that the forwards' defensive responsibilities are more determined by when and where they enter the zone as opposed to always relying on the center to handle the goal line and goal crease. This allows for an easy transition for centers to wing and vice versa.
"We don't do a lot of switching off in our own end," Ruff said. "Typically, teams will come back and switch off. Our first guy that creates pressure, our second guy back has to play that position. That's the biggest difference.
"Sometimes when the centerman is the last man back into the zone, other teams will allow a little wait time to let your centerman get back and play. We instantly go to pressure. And have the next guy fill a spot, and the next guy after that. Those guys are a familiar with that."
