"It's been going good, so I think I'm ready to play," the defenseman said after practice Tuesday. "It's hard to be on the outside looking in, so I'm just excited to get back and playing."
Hamilton was injured against the Washington Capitals on Jan. 2, had surgery two days later, and returned to practice wearing a regular jersey Feb. 12. He began practicing with defense partner Jonas Siegenthaler and on the top power-play unit Saturday.
"There were three or four different masks I was trying out, just tweaking them, trying different pads," Hamilton said. "It changed because of the healing of my jaw. I don't know if this is the one I'll wear for a while or keep changing it ... we'll see [how] I feel. My jaw has gotten better and better and I've been able to change stuff that I wear."
Hamilton has averaged 21:25 of ice time in 30 games this season.
"I had a conversation with him, and he said he's ready to go and we're ready to put him back in," Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. "[His ice time will] come down to how he feels, how he looks. Sometimes the player will dictate the length of shifts he's taking. If the shifts get short you know it's probably a night where you're playing him 20 minutes. I wouldn't see it being much less than that.
Hamilton has scored 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists), is fifth on the Devils in blocked shots (47) and is tied for third with seven power-play points. He is in his first season with New Jersey after agreeing to a seven-year, $63 million contract ($9 million average annual value) on July 29.
Jesper Bratt will also return to the lineup against the Penguins. The forward, who leads New Jersey with 43 points (14 goals, 29 assists) in 45 games, missed two games because of an upper-body injury.
