PRE-GAME STORY
NEWARK, NJ - The Devils held a full morning skate on Saturday ahead of hosting the Ottawa Senators. Defenseman John Marino, who has missed four of the past five game with separate upper-body injuries, was on the ice and partook in line rushes.
“Yes, it looks like it,” interim head coach Travis Green said if Marino will play.
Lineup
The Devils used the following workflow at the morning skate…
Meier – Hischier – Bratt
Hughes – Haula – Holtz
Palat – Nosek – Mercer
MacDermid / Willman – Tierney – Lazar
Bahl – Marino
Hughes – DeSimone
Smith – Nemec
Hatakka – Wotherspoon
Allen worked the starter’s crease.
“My plan is for Jake to play tonight,” Green said.
As for tomorrow on the back-to-back game? “Game by game,” Green smiled.
Johnny Hockey
Marino missed two games with an upper-body injury, returned to the lineup for one game, then missed the next two games with a different upper-body injury. Now, he’ll be back in the lineup for New Jersey.
“I’ve been in and out with injuries lately,” Marino said. “The guys have been playing really well lately. If I play tonight, hopefully, I can contribute where I can.”
Streaking?
The Devils have won their past two games and in impressive fashion, outscoring Pittsburgh and Winnipeg by a combined 9-3. A win against Ottawa would be three straight victories and an official streak. It would also match the most wins in a row by the club this season.
“We’ve really put (forth) a solid 60-minute game in both games,” Green said. “It comes from a lot of different areas. At the end of the day, players have to be excited to play and be engaged from the drop of the puck. When you play with a lot of passion that is the start of a lot of good things in your game.”
“It’s been a tough year. A lot of ups and downs,” Marino said of the team’s progress of late. “Trying to find the consistency. As long as we’re getting closer to that, you can’t be too upset.”
The Devils are currently six points out of a playoff spot (Detroit) with 12 games remaining in the schedule. Despite the dwindling time, the team still holds hope.
“Get three in a row, string a couple together and you never know what happens,” Marino said.
“We have a lot of confidence in here. We know we can still reach the playoffs,” Alex Holtz said. “That’s the main goal.”
Big Shot
Holtz is getting the best opportunity of his career playing on a line with Jack Hughes. In the previous game he did commit a bad defensive zone turnover. Instead of getting benched, the coaches left him on the line and he made up for the mistake minutes later by scoring a goal.
“I had a pretty big mistake. But it’s nice having the confidence of getting put back out there,” Holtz said. “I had a goal. And that will get more trust in you.”
Part of that trust has been a lot of open communication with the coaching staff, including Green.
“He’s very honest with me, telling me what I need to work on to play more minutes,” Holtz said. “I’m just trying to take in everything, work on my game and play good hockey out there.
“Small talk here and there. Where I need to be better at, what I’m doing well. And what I need to continue with.”
Playing with Hughes certainly has its rewards, as well as its challenges.
“You play against really good lines because they’re trying to shut him down,” Holtz said. “It’s a mix between that and you want to contribute to the line as well and do what you do best. You can make it a really good line.”
--Sam Kasan, Devils Beat Reporter
