"I've got to feel 100% to play, otherwise it's not worth it," Hischier said, addressing the media for the first time since his injury. "I've got to be ready when I play. I'll see how I feel tonight and tomorrow. I'll talk to the trainers and make a decision from there."
"He felt a lot better on the ice yesterday," head coach John Hynes said. "Today he got back in and we did battle drills with him, more shooting and receiving passes. He said he felt pretty good but we still have to wait and see how he is later today and tomorrow morning."
Whether Hynes has the Swiss center at his disposal remains up in the air. Adding Hischier is 'not ruled out', but without him over the last two games, Hynes has liked the way his team has stepped up in Hischier's absence.
"We've just played a game with a lot more substance to it," Hynes said. "What I mean by that is we've been stronger defensively, we've had more attention to detail when we haven't had the puck. That's been a big emphasis for us as coaches and players and I think we've done a better job, we can still do an even better job to get better, but the nice thing is there's a commitment to it. We have gotten better and we're seeing results because of it."
The Devils are currently riding a two-game win streak, with back-to-back games coming up this weekend. The Devils host Detroit Saturday before visiting Carolina on Sunday.
On defense, Hynes continues to await word on the status of Sami Vatanen. Vatanen left Thursday's game with an injury early in the second period. He will see doctors on Friday before the team can determine his status for Saturday.
Hynes will address the media at 10:45 a.m. Saturday where he will provide further updates on Hischier and Vatanen.
