TORONTO, ON -This morning, the Devils announced Lindy Ruff would miss the next two games behind the bench following the news of the death of his father Leeson. Alain Nasreddine will step in as acting head coach with Ruff taking these personal days.
Nasreddine spoke on the situation and mentioned Ruff found out about the news surrounded by his staff.
"He's doing well," said Nasreddine. "He gets to go home and we got to see him when he learned the hard news and we were there for him and he was doing okay. I think he is very appreciative of the fact that he got to go home a couple of weeks ago and got to see him. We'll try to hold down the fort in the meantime."
STRIKING THE RIGHT NOTE
It's a balance.
On one hand, the Devils are playing better. On the other, the wins are not coming.
For the players, this lends itself to frustration.
"I mean, we're all competitors," said Nasreddine. "We all want to win. We're all winners and we play every game trying to win. So there is a little bit of frustration, but I think the guys believe in the way we're playing right now and how we need to play to win games. And you continue to build on that and, eventually, results will come. We're playing against good teams and tonight is no different. So for us, sometimes it comes down to one mistake or a couple of mistakes where instead of winning the game we are losing the game, so it's just learning and gaining experience in those situations."
For the coaching staff, there's that balance of sticking with the same messaging because on one level it's working, or shifting the message and tweaking to chase results. Nasreddine said they tend to believe in staying the course through rough waters.
"Stick to the script," he said. "For us, we've been trying to be positive because you feel the frustration on the bench. And sometimes for us, if we feel we like the way we're playing, that's telling the players that. 'Hey, it's okay, we're playing okay.' Just got to keep playing the right way. And at the same time, if you're not doing the right things, they also have to know. But lately, we feel pretty good about where we're at. I know that the wins are not coming, but eventually, if we keep playing this way, I think they're starting to believe it does work."
LACK OF FANS IN HOUSE
Due to COVID-19 regulations, there are only 500 fans set to be in attendance tonight. Tarps line the arena in Toronto, making for a unique and unsettling visual reminiscent of the height of the pandemic in New Jersey.
Make no mistake, the Devils wish those seats were filled.
"Practicing with the tarps, we certainly didn't miss that," said Nasreddine. "Heard there will be 500 fans, so it'll be that at least. But it's not how we want to play games. But it is what it is."
"Yeah, it's unfortunate," said P.K. Subban. "I mean, we as players love to play in front of fans. So hopefully we can get the fans back as soon as possible."
A WELCOME BACK
Andreas Johnsson will make his return to Toronto tonight, battling his former club.
Johnsson was acquired via trade from the Leafs on October 10, 2020. He spent three seasons with the Leafs and time in their AHL system before that.
"I didn't even say a proper goodbye to some guys. So I haven't seen them for maybe even two years, some guys. So it's been a long time."
"I've seen a couple of guys and said hi to them. And some staff too. So it was really great seeing them again."
