Nathan Bastian Returns To Practice
The Buffalo Sabres are all but out of the playoff race after a tough stretch of games, and life won’t get any easier for them down the stretch run. The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski reports Tage Thompson is absent from morning skate, as he’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury that caused him to miss much of the team’s win last Friday against the New Jersey Devils. In response, Lukas Rousek has been added to the Sabres roster for the second time in three days on an emergency loan, per CapFriendly.
- Per New Jersey Devils team reporter Amanda Stein, winger Nathan Bastian is on the ice for morning skate for the first time since March 12. Bastian has missed just over two weeks since suffering an upper-body injury in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, his second lengthy injury-related absence this season. He missed nearly two months with an upper-body injury between Thanksgiving and mid-January, limiting him to 39 games on the season. When in the lineup, he’s been effective in a fourth-line role, recording 12 points and forming a solid unit with Miles Wood and Michael McLeod.
New Jersey Devils Send Down Akira Schmid
As Mackenzie Blackwood makes his way back into the lineup for the New Jersey Devils, the team had a difficult choice to make in the net. The team announced today that goaltender Akira Schmid will be sent down to their AHL affiliate Utica Comets. With nine games remaining in their regular season, the Comets are coming close to making the playoffs in the AHL’s North Division with a record of 31-23-6.
After a difficult start to his NHL career last season, Schmid has rebounded significantly this year. Playing on a top team in New Jersey, the goaltender has a record of 8-5-2, with a .918 SV% and a 2.24 GAA, including one shutout as well. Even the underlying numbers bode well for Schmid, with a Goals Against Percentage Minus of 86, and a High-Danger Scoring Chance Save Percentage of .855, Schmid has improved a considerable amount in his second year.
Drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft, Schmid will be able to log important minutes for a competitive team in Utica. As the Devils have now clinched a playoff spot, they will now have the luxury of all three top goalies on their depth chart playing important hockey into late April.
Curtis Lazar To "Miss Some Time" With Lower-Body Injury
- The New Jersey Devils will be without Curtis Lazar for the next little while, as head coach Lindy Ruff explained he will “miss some time” with a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old forward was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks at the deadline and has yet to register a point in three games with the Devils.
Curtis Lazar To Be Evaluated Later This Week
- New Jersey Devils team reporter Amanda Stein notes that forward Curtis Lazar will be evaluated for an undisclosed injury upon the conclusion of the team’s road trip this week. A deadline day addition, Lazar left yesterday’s loss to the Florida Panthers with the injury and did not return. Lazar had played just three games in New Jersey after missing time due to work visa complications, and he’s still looking for his first point in his new uniform.
Devils Notes: Wood, Bastian, Blackwood, Foote
Before the New Jersey Devils play against the Florida Panthers tonight, the lead reporter of the team, Amanda Stein, gave some important updates from the team’s practice earlier this morning. As the Devils begin a weekend back-to-back against the Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, Stein reports that forwards Miles Wood and Nathan Bastian have not made the trip to Florida with the team.
Wood, one of the many upcoming free agents on the Devils’ roster, will miss his second straight game. After only playing three games during the 2021-22 season, Wood has again become a steady depth player for the Devils this year. Playing in his seventh season in New Jersey, Wood has reached the double-digit goal mark five times, with a career-high 19 goals coming during the 2017-18 season.
Much like Wood, Bastian has not played in the last few games for the Devils, having missed since the March 12th game against the Carolina Hurricanes. After being selected by the Seattle Kraken during their expansion draft, Bastian found his way back to New Jersey last year after a mid-season waiver claim. In his first full year back with the Devils, Bastian has also provided some depth scoring for the team, putting up six goals and six assists in 39 games played so far this year.
Other notes:
- Although he’s been one of the more injury-plagued goalies the last several years, Stein also mentioned that goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood was practicing with the team this morning. Having not played since the team’s game against the Winnipeg Jets on February 19th, Blackwood will still be out of the lineup tonight, however; it is good news to see him back out practicing with the team. In 17 games played this year, Blackwood has a record of 8-5, with a .900 SV% and a 3.04 GAA.
- Lastly, Stein mentions that forward Nolan Foote was also seen practicing with the team before their game in Sunrise. Drafted 27th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, Foote has yet to crack the Devils’ lineup in a meaningful way. Playing only 16 games over the last three seasons, Nolan has scored a collective four goals and two assists for New Jersey. As he has played most of his games in the AHL, he has a career mark of 39 goals and 40 assists in 128 games played in hockey’s highest minor league system.
College Notes: Buckeyes, Badgers, McCarthy
The Ohio State Buckeyes women’s hockey team will have a chance to repeat as national champions after they advanced to Sunday’s NCAA final with a 3-0 win over Northeastern. Ohio State is the No.1 seed in this year’s tournament and they showed why with a dominant effort that was not truly reflected on the scoreboard. The Buckeyes outshot Northeastern 53-15 and dominated huge stretches of the game despite Northeastern having a sizable powerplay advantage of 4-1.
After today’s win, Ohio State is now 7-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. This will be the second championship game that Ohio State has played in program history, which began back in the 1999-00 season. The National Championship goes Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.
Other notes from around college hockey:
- The Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team also advanced to Sunday’s NCAA national championship game with a 3-2 overtime win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Wisconsin nearly won the game in regulation. However, Minnesota turned up the pressure with the net empty late in the game and were able to get the equalizer with 1:11 remaining in the third period. Credit goes to Wisconsin as they were able to overcome the blown lead and get the game-winner in overtime. K.K. Harvey was the eventual goal scorer for the Badgers as she ripped a wrist shot from the right circle with 3:13 left in the first overtime. For the Badgers they will be seeking their seventh national title when they battle Ohio State on Sunday, having last won the championship in 2021.
- NHL Network’s Renaud Lavoie is reporting that New Jersey Devils 2019 fourth-round pick Case McCarthy left tonight’s Boston University game on a stretcher after a scary incident. McCarthy slammed his back awkwardly into the end boards midway through the third period after a collision with Providence’s Patrick Moynihan. He was able to get back to his feet to a loud ovation but was stretchered off the ice a short time later. He was taken to hospital and is currently under observation. Boston went on to beat Providence 2-1 in overtime to advance to the Hockey East title game.
New Jersey Devils Recall Nolan Foote
- The New Jersey Devils announced today that they have recalled forward Nolan Foote from the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League. Foote has dressed in 49 AHL games this season scoring 18 goals and 12 assists. He was with the big club for their recent California swing through Anaheim, Los Angeles, and San Jose, but played sparingly in his last outing as he saw just 3:08 of ice time. The 22-year-old was a first round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019 but has struggled to find the consistency he displayed in his AHL rookie season where he scored 17 points in 24 games. With his recall, Foote will have another opportunity to show the Devils that he is part of their young core moving forward.
Curtis Lazar Cleared To Join Devils
- Devils forward Curtis Lazar has now been cleared to join the team, notes Ryan Novozinsky of the Newark Star-Ledger. The veteran was acquired from Vancouver at the trade deadline but had been waiting to get through work visa and immigration issues which have now been resolved. Lazar has joined up with New Jersey in Montreal but isn’t expected to be in the lineup just yet. The 28-year-old has five points and 124 hits in 45 games so far this season.
New Jersey Devils Acquire Jayce Hawryluk
The New Jersey Devils have acquired forward Jayce Hawryluk from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for future considerations, per a team announcement. In addition, the Devils have acquired defenseman Zack Hayes from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Jack Dugan, per another announcement.
As a reminder, players involved in trades completed after the NHL’s March 3rd trade deadline lose NHL eligibility, meaning these trades have AHL implications only.
In Hawryluk, the Devils’ AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, have acquired a former highly-drafted prospect who has settled in as a solid minor-league contributor. Although he’s only played in 19 games for Belleville and scored just eight points, Hawryluk has nearly 100 games of NHL experience under his belt and played very well for the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2018-19, scoring 32 points in 31 games.
He’ll add to the Comets’ forward depth as they ready for the Calder Cup Playoffs, and will replace Dugan in their lineup as he’s headed to the Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
Dugan, a 2017 fifth-rounder of the Vegas Golden Knights, scored 11 goals and 27 points in 51 games for Utica this season. He was a high-scoring winger in the NCAA at Providence College, and will head to Chicago, the team that was formerly the Golden Knights’ affiliate. (Dugan has not played for the Wolves before, as in his time with the Golden Knights organization he played for the Henderson Silver Knights.)
In exchange for Dugan, Utica is adding Hayes, a 23-year-old blueliner who has already been traded once this season. He played in 14 games for the Henderson Silver Knights, but did not manage to factor into their lineup consistently before being traded.
He played in three NHL games last year as the Golden Knights dealt with significant injury issues on their blueline, and should be able to help bolster a Utica defense that lost Nikita Okhotyuk at the trade deadline, thanks to the Timo Meier deal.
Timo Meier Set To Make Devils Debut Sunday
A week after learning he’d officially be joining the team, New Jersey Devils fans should finally get to see Timo Meier in action today when the team takes on the Arizona Coyotes. Head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters today, including NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky, that “as long as he’s feeling good, [Meier] should be ready to go.”
Meier had been day-to-day with an upper-body injury at the time of the trade and had not played since February 18. According to Devils senior producer Sam Kasan’s report of the team’s line rushes during yesterday’s practice, Meier is expected to line up at left wing alongside Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, forming a potentially terrorizing two-way scoring unit.
- Novozinsky also reported this morning that it may be a few games before New Jersey sees their other trade deadline acquisition in a Devils uniform. Curtis Lazar, acquired from the Vancouver Canucks on deadline day, is dealing with work visa issues, and it could be as long as a week until he’s able to join the team. The 28-year-old Lazar is expected to contest with Jesper Boqvist, Michael McLeod, and Miles Wood for ice time in New Jersey’s bottom six.