Devils Practice Wednesday Ahead of Homestand | NOTEBOOK

The Devils are practicing Wednesday afternoon at the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House inside Prudential Center before launching a three-game homestand.

Stay tuned to the notebook for the latest info, updates, interviews, videos and more from the practice session!

Practice Info

The Devils practiced without Ondrej Palat, Tomas Tatar and Curtis Lazar on Wednesday.

“Bumps and bruises are piling up a little bit. We’re also thinking of making some lineup changes, too," head coach Sheldon Keefe said. "So, it’s a chance to combine some changes with some rest. We’ll see exactly where we’re at tomorrow and solidify our lineup based on that and based on any changes we want to make.”

With all the absent players, the lines were a bit of a mish mash.

Goalie Rotation

Keefe did note that he will start goaltender Jacob Markstrom Thursday night against Calgary, his former team, and Jake Allen on Saturday night against Ottawa.

“It’s a good opportunity for Jake to get in there more, he’s done such a good job,” Keefe said. “Also for us to manage Marky coming off an injury, manage his workload, give him an opportunity to really find his game, too.”

Balancing Response with Victory

The Devils will face the Calgary Flames Thursday night at Prudential Center. The last time these two clubs hooked up, Calgary picked up a 3-0 victory in Alberta.

But what occurred during the game was bigger than the final score.

Calgary’s Ryan Lomberg fought with New Jersey’s Nate Bastian, breaking his jaw in the process. Bastian missed 16 games and had to wear a protective shield upon his return.

And while the Devils certainly want to send a message on behalf of their teammate, they also need to focus on winning a game in their own playoff chase.

“We all love ‘Bass’ and know how good of a teammate he is. He’s a big part of our team, a fourth-line identity, killing penalties. He missed a significant chunk of time,” defenseman Brenden Dillon said. “But this time of the year you have to put away all the other (stuff) and ultimately you have to win the hockey game.”

“In the back of our mind, what happened last game will not be forgotten, and it will be taken care of,” forward Paul Cotter said. “At the end of the day, we’re pushing to stay in a playoff spot and put ourselves in a better position, have ourselves ready, keep guys healthy. It is a bit of a balance, but it is definitely something that will not be forgotten on our team for a long time.”

Both the Devils and Calgary are fighting to earn a berth in the playoffs. The Devils sit in the third spot in the Metro Division with an eight-point cushion. The Flames, meanwhile, are two points out of the postseason with one team, sitting fourth in the Wild Card spot (two Wild Card teams earn a playoff berth).

“The last couple weeks now, we’re in playoff hockey mode right now,” Dillon said. “We need every point we can. We’re seeing how the standings change every night it seems. This is a team, Calgary, that had a big win in New York. They’re fighting for their lives in their own playoff race. We’ve got to be smart about. Most importantly try to build our game here and get back to playing Devils hockey.”

He Said It:

Allen on empowering women in hockey: “Hockey is different for everyone. We have Kate (Madigan) here in management. You don’t have to be a hockey player. There are so many different ways to be involved. You can be on the TV, media side. You can work in management, player development. There are so many ways to get involved in the game.”

He Said It 2:

Cotter on the Devils' adaptability: "One good thing about our team is no matter what comes about, we’re a pretty good team at handling it. If you want to play a physical game, we can handle it. If you want to play finesse, we have all different types of our game that we can play."