East Notes: Hughes, Toffoli, Svechnikov, Lockwood

Devils center Jack Hughes will be activated from injured reserve and return to the lineup Thursday against the Flames, he told reporters, including the team’s own Amanda Stein. The 22-year-old had been out since Jan. 5 with an upper-body injury.

Hughes took line rushes with Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Holtz in this morning’s skate, but he may have different linemates against Calgary, said head coach Lindy Ruff. Toffoli is also expected to draw back into the lineup tonight after missing the team’s win over the Avalanche on Tuesday with an illness.

The 2019 first-overall pick continues to be New Jersey’s most dominant offensive force and leads the team with 1.41 points per game. He’s missed over 30% of the Devils’ games with injuries this season, though, although his 30 assists and 45 points still rank second on the team behind leading scorer Jesper Bratt.

A healthy Hughes for the rest of the season is one of the Devils’ biggest keys to clinching back-to-back playoff berths for the first time since 2009 and 2010. They sit five points back of the Red Wings for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference but have two games in hand.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference on Thursday:

• Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov has been upgraded to being a game-time decision Thursday against the Avalanche, per the team’s Walt Ruff. He has yet to practice in a full-contact jersey since sustaining an upper-body injury on Jan. 21 but has remained day-to-day throughout the recovery process. Injuries have limited the high-flying Russian to 29 games on the year, but he’s managed to push through multiple disruptions to post the first point-per-game season of his career with 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points.
• Panthers winger William Lockwood remains out with a concussion and won’t return to the lineup Thursday against the Capitals, head coach Paul Maurice said (via the team’s Jameson Olive). Lockwood, 25, has not played since sustaining the concussion in a collision with Wild netminder Marc-André Fleury in a game on Jan. 20. Lockwood earned a three-game suspension on the play, which has long since been satisfied. He has a lone assist in 23 games with the Panthers this season, his first in Florida.