NASSAU, N.Y.- There may only be two games remaining in the regular season, but that won't stop some of the injured Devils players from making the most of those two games.
Forwards Andreas Johnsson (lower-body) and Miles Wood (undisclosed) and defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler (COVID-19) all participated in Saturday's morning skate prior to the Devils contest against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. All are expected to play.
"We wanted to make sure they were ready to go," Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said of Siegenthaler and Jonsson. "They went through some demanding skates, some game simulated skates where they can recover. That we're putting them in the right spots to make a difference in the game. We're not just putting them in to play. We want them to be able to make a difference."
Siegenthaler, who has been out of the lineup since April 22 and missed the past eight games while recovering, practiced for three days and has been cleared to play.
"My goal was to play the last two or three games," he said. "The last couple of days I've been working really hard. A lot of skates, workouts. I felt pretty ready to play the last two games so I'm looking forward to that."
Johnsson suffered a nagging lower-body injury April 25 at Philadelphia. He's been out for the past six games.
"I'm completely ready to go or else I wouldn't be able to play," Johnsson said. "The most important was to feel good out there. Now I've had a couple practices and conditioning, so I feel good."
LINEUP
With some injured players returning, there will be some lineup changes. Based on the workflow, it appears that Marian Studenic, Tyce Thompson and Connor Carrick will be out. Here was the morning skate rushes…
Kuokkanen-Hughes-Sharangovich
Zacha-Hischier-Bratt
Wood-McLeod-Bastian
Foote-Boqvist-Johnsson
Murray-Severson
Butcher-Siegenthaler
Bahl-Tennyson
Blackwood
Wedgewood
FINAL LOOK
The coaching staff put Siegenthaler and Johnsson through a tough skating test before allowing them to play. Even Ruff admitted they were "hurting" afterward. But the players' willingness to go through it speaks volumes of how much they wanted to play, even for only two games.
"It says a lot. It says they want to play," Ruff said. "It says they want to make a difference. They want to be a Devil. It doesn't matter whether there is one game or two games.
"With two games left I think you could say 'I'm not quite ready.' But both players want to play and try and make a difference."
For a player like Siegenthaler, who only played six games with the Devils after being acquired at the trade deadline, it's a chance to leave a final impression on the coaches and management.
"I wanted to play as many games as I could after COVID," he said. "For me those last two games are pretty important. I want to show what I'm capable of. I'll take it game-by-game and try to finish the season as good as I can."
