On Tuesday morning, it was announced that Nico Hischier is the latest Devil to be out of service when the team hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets at 7 p.m.
Hischier is out with an upper-body injury after exiting early from New Jersey's last game in Boston over the weekend. That's 44 points, 17 goals and 27 assists removed from the already depleted lineup.
Players like Jesper Bratt will have to shoulder the offensive load in the absence of Hischier, a role Bratt has set himself up for with 13 points in his last 13 games.
"I think I'm making good decisions on the ice," Bratt said. "The coaching staff is helping me a lot to make those better decisions that help me play more in the offensive zone. Some other games earlier in the season, I may have tried to force a lot of plays early instead of holding on to the puck. Now I'm making plays that might take a little longer, but its better in the long term. I just try to be confident and do good."
Bratt will continue playing on the top line, this time alongside Travis Zajac and Drew Stafford.
"For all of us who have been up here all year," Bratt added. "It gives us more responsibility. I'm just trying to be me, play my best hockey and try and help the team win."
Defenseman Sami Vatanen is also ruled out for the game against Columbus, he's out due to illness. But on the flip side, one player who has been on the shelf since early January is returning to the lineup. Stefan Noesen is back on the ice for a first time since January 8th.
"It's been a long six, seven, eight weeks," Noesen said. "Sometimes you take for granted being in the lineup every single day. When you don't have the chance to be in there every single day and competing with the team, you feel a little left out. To be able to have a chance this year, which was definitely a question mark for me, it really feels good to get back."
Noesen knows he's returning to a different lineup than the one that he was playing with in early January with the number of injuries the Devils have accumulated. As most Devils say, this is just another opportunity that needs to be seized by those that are playing.
"You get to know all these guys from training camp and playing with some of them my first year when I got here, the same faces are coming back up from the minors," Noesen added. "It's good to see those guys getting their shot and getting a chance to show what they can do, with the amount of injuries as we have. For me, I'd like to make as positive an impact as I can."
Cory Schneider will get the start in net, he and Mackenzie Blackwood have been sharing the New Jersey net 50-50 since the NHL Trade Deadline last week, something John Hynes said you can expect going forward.
Projected New Jersey Devils Lineup:
Jesper Bratt - Travis Zajac - Drew Stafford
Kenny Agostino - Blake Coleman - Nick Lappin
Blake Pietila - Michael McLeod - Joey Anderson
Kurtis Gabriel - Kevin Rooney - Stefan Noesen
Andy Greene - Damon Severson
Will Butcher - Connor Carrick
Egor Yakovlev - Steven Santini
Cory Schneider
Mackenzie Blackwood
