NEWARK, N.J. -- Center Joseph Blandisi will make his NHL debut for the New Jersey Devils against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday at Prudential Center (7 p.m. ET; FS-D, MSG+).

The opportunity for the 21-year-old comes at a time when the Devils (14-10-4) are without centers Travis Zajac (upper body) and Adam Henrique (lower body). Blandisi was recalled from Albany of the American Hockey League on Thursday.

Zajac was placed on injured reserve Thursday and is eligible to be activated Friday, but coach John Hynes said he will miss the next two games. Hynes said Henrique is day-to-day and questionable to play Sunday at the New York Islanders. Henrique leads the Devils with 13 goals.

"I just need to be strong in my own zone and be responsible; be a guy that's reliable that they could put out there in key situations," Blandisi said. "The coaching staff told me they brought me up to play because they were missing some players in the lineup so hopefully do the best I can."

Auston Matthews, who many project to be the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, is playing for Zurich in Switzerland's top professional league this season. NHL.com will follow his journey leading to the NHL draft with a weekly update.

What Auston Matthews didn't produce on the score sheet last week for Zurich in National League A, Switzerland's top pro league, he made up for in high-end puck movement and intelligence.

It has been what scouts have come to expect from the 6-foot-1, 210-pound left-shooting center.

Matthews had one goal, four points and 11 shots on goal in three games for the Lions, who lead the league with 58 points.

In 19 games this season Matthews, 18, has 11 goals and 20 points. He is an A-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's November players to watch list.

NEWARK, N.J. -- Right wing Jaromir Jagr will make his return to New Jersey on Sunday when the Florida Panthers face the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center.

Jagr led the Devils with 67 points (24 goals, 43 assists) in 82 games in 2013-14, and had 11 goals and 29 points in 57 games last season before the Devils traded him to the Panthers on Feb. 26 for a second-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft and third-round choice in 2016. The Devils later traded the 2015 selection to the Anaheim Ducks to acquire forward Kyle Palmieri.

"I still have fun playing, no question," Jagr said. "Some nights are tougher than others when you're playing back-to-backs. Sometimes I feel like 70-years-old after the game, but the next day I feel like 20 so it's up and down."

Jagr needs one goal to move into a tie with Hockey Hall of Fame member Marcel Dionne (731) for fourth on the NHL's all-time list and is 11 behind Brett Hull (741) for third place. Wayne Gretzky has the most goals in NHL history with 894, 93 more than Gordie Howe.

NEWARK, N.J. -- The Philadelphia Flyers will have Michal Neuvirth in goal when they begin a stretch of five games in eight days on Friday against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center (7 p.m. ET; CSN-PH, MSG+ 2).

Neuvirth, who will make his first start in three games, is 4-2-4 with a 1.94 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in 10 games against the Devils. Steve Mason is 0-7-0 with a 3.70 GAA and .861 save percentage in eight games against New Jersey.

"Mason's career record against New Jersey wasn't a big factor in starting Neuvirth," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. "Neuvirth had a real good performance in his last game against Nashville and both guys are going pretty good right now; this is Neuvirth's game."

NEWARK, N.J. -- The New Jersey Devils begin a stretch of five games in eight days Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche at Prudential Center (7 p.m. ET; ALT, MSG+).

Devils center Adam Henrique said there's no time for a letdown against the Avalanche, who are 12th in the Western Conference and are coming off a 5-3 loss to the New York Islanders on Monday.

"The Avalanche (9-14-1) are a fast-paced offensive team and they have some deadly players over there," Henrique said. "Some of our losses have come against teams outside the playoff picture at this point. But we have to make sure our focus is at a high level no matter who we're playing. If you're not bringing your A game every night you will lose. Any team willing to put in the effort and battle can win in this League and I think that's an area we can improve."

The Devils (12-9-2), who have points in three of their past four games (2-1-1), are looking to end a four-game losing streak (0-3-1) against the Avalanche. Their last win against them was a 1-0 victory March 15, 2012 at Prudential Center.

Auston Matthews, who many project to be the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, is playing for Zurich in Switzerland's top professional league this season. NHL.com will follow his journey leading to the NHL Draft this season with a weekly update.

Auston Matthews returned to the lineup for Zurich on Nov. 25 following a six-game absence because of an upper-body injury and looked to be in prime form.

In his first game, against Ambri-Piotta in the quarterfinals of the Swiss Ice Hockey Cup, he had two goals in a 5-2 victory. Zurich will play Bern in the semifinals on Jan. 5 or Jan 6, 2016. Zurich has won both regular-season games against Bern this season, outscoring them 7-4.

NEWARK, N.J. -- The second tour of duty as the No. 1 for Montreal Canadiens rookie goaltender Mike Condon begins Friday against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center (7 p.m. ET; RDS, SNE, MSG+).

Condon will replace starter Carey Price for at least one week while the latter recovers from an injury sustained against the New York Rangers on Wednesday. Price was placed on injured reserve Thursday.

Playing his third game since missing nine in a row, Price left after two periods when he re-aggravated the injury in a 5-1 win. His right leg appeared to bend awkwardly after making a save in the second period and he was replaced by Condon for the start of the third.

"[Condon] did a fantastic job for us, even in the last game when we put him out there in a tough position against the Rangers," Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said. "It was a close game and when he got in there in the third he made some key saves and gave us a chance to gain the momentum.

"When we lost Carey early in the season, we didn't know quite what to expect and we didn't know how long Carey would be out. [Condon] did really well and I'm sure he's more confident right now than probably he was earlier when he started."

NEWARK, N.J. -- Left wing Patrik Elias will make his season debut for the New Jersey Devils against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday at Prudential Center (7 p.m. ET; FS-O, MSG+).

The Blue Jackets are expected to get two key players back in their lineup in centers Brandon Dubinsky and Alexander Wennberg, who have each missed the past six games with injury.

Elias is returning from a right knee injury. He joined the Devils for their three-game Western Canada road trip last week and for a second straight practice on Wednesday served as left wing on the third line alongside center Jacob Josefson and right wing Stefan Matteau.

"There's always some adjustments, on the forecheck and in the neutral zone, but I think the defense zone, a majority of the time, it's the same," Elias said. "I think I can grasp that pretty well but most of [adjusting] will be in the neutral zone; where to go and how to react and when to move.

"It's going to be a matter of talking to [Josefson] and him talking to me and letting me know where I'm supposed to go and do, and I'll just go with it and watch every shift and what the guys are doing."

Auston Matthews, who many project to be the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, is playing for Zurich in Switzerland's top professional league this season. NHL.com will follow his journey leading to the NHL Draft this season with a weekly update.

Auston Matthews, who has missed the past six games with an upper-body injury for the Zurich Lions in Switzerland's top professional league, is slated to make his return to the lineup Wednesday against Ambri-Piotta in the quarterfinal round of the Swiss Ice Hockey Cup.

Matthews is an A-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's September players to watch list. Zurich will play its next regular-season game against Lausanne HC on Friday.

Auston Matthews, an A-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's September players to watch list for the 2016 NHL draft, is targeting his return to the lineup from an upper-body injury on Wednesday against Ambri-Piotta in the Swiss Ice Hockey Cup.

Matthews, who has missed the past four games but has been practicing with Zurich in Switzerland's top professional league, will miss regular-season games against Kloten Flyers on Friday and SCL Tigers on Nov. 23.