2 weeks Ago By James Nichols, New Jersey Hockey Now
The New Jersey Devils returned to full health for the first time against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 24th. However, they were only able to get through two-plus games before they suffered another injury.
On Sunday night against the Anaheim Ducks, Curtis Lazar left in the second period with an apparent lower-body injury. While attacking in the Ducks’ end of the ice, Anaheim captain Radko Gudas stepped up to Lazar with a hip check that sent him to the ice. Lazar struggled to get up on his own, and when he did, he needed assistance to get off the ice.
The Devils forward didn’t appear to be applying any pressure to his left leg while he was being helped off the ice. Lazar did not return to the game following his second-period departure. After the Devils defeated the Ducks 6-2, head coach Sheldon Keefe provided a pessimistic update on the fourth-line center.
“[Lazar is] gonna miss some time,” Keefe explained. “The extent of it? We’re not sure at this point. He’ll get evaluated tomorrow.
” The Devils embark on a three-game western Canadian road trip where they will face the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Edmonton Oilers. It appears the Devils will need to reach down into their minor league affiliate for reinforcements and recall a center from the Utica Comets. A few candidates who the Devils could recall are Shane Bowers , Max Willman, and Nolan Foote.
The Devils started the season quite injured, missing Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce for the opening nine games. They’ve been relatively healthy ever since, and sure are hoping the Lazar injury isn’t the start of similar issues they faced in 2023-24. This article first appeared on New Jersey Hockey Now and was syndicated with permission.
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