THE SCOOP
The New Jersey Devils may have an injection of new bodies into their lineup when they visit the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. Both Johanthan Kovacevic and Evgenii Dadonov are likely to return to the lineup after participating in a full practice on Saturday. Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated the intent is for both players to play if they wake up on Sunday morning feeling good enough after a full day of practice. Both players suggested on Saturday they are feeling ready to return.
For Kovacevic, it would be his first game of the season after undergoing knee surgery during the off-season, while Dadonov has been injury-stricken, injured in the first game of the season, and played just four games in his return before sustaining a new injury. With the expectation that Kovacevic will return, defenseman Dougie Hamilton will be scratched, per head coach Sheldon Keefe. Hamilton skated on the Devils' fourth pairing at practice with Colton White.
It has been a very tough stretch for the club, with just one win in their last four games and just four wins in their last 10 games. Most recently, the Devils lost in Pittsburgh, where Luke Hughes scored the game's lone goal.
The Winnipeg Jets have been through their own tough stretch as well and currently sit in last place in the NHL with a record of 16-22-5. On Friday night, the Jets posted their first win after having lost 11 straight games, and seven in regulation. During their losing streak, the Jets had seen opponents come from behind to beat them, most notably the Edmonton Oilers, which was a 4-3 final after the Jets led 3-1, and against the Vegas Golden Knights, a 4-3 loss in overtime, highlighting issues with holding leads and finishing tight contests.
In net, No. 1 Connor Hellebuyck has struggled, with just a 9-12-4 record, while they have also relied on backup goaltender Eric Comrie, who posted the victory against the Kings, and has a 7-9-1 record.
