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Curtis Lazar

Metropolitan Notes: Lazar, Marino, Kuraly

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The Devils will likely be without forward Curtis Lazar for the rest of the season after he sustained an upper-body injury in yesterday’s 4-3 win over the Senators, head coach Travis Green said (via James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now). Green confirmed that Lazar’s injury will make way for Shane Bowers to enter the lineup tonight against the Predators after being recalled from Utica earlier today.

Lazar will end his season with seven goals, 18 assists and 25 points in 71 games while averaging 12:23 per game with a +10 rating. His assists and points figures are both career-highs, adding some highlight to what’s transpired to be a journeyman career for the 2013 first-round pick. The 29-year-old was picked up from the Canucks at last year’s deadline and is in the second season of a three-year, $3MM deal signed with Vancouver in free agency in 2022. He did quite well at controlling possession quality in a shutdown role, maintaining a solid 51.1 xG%.

Elsewhere in the Metro:

  • New Jersey will also be without defenseman John Marino against Nashville, as the team’s Amanda Stein relays he remains out with an upper-body injury. He sustained the injury while fighting Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller in a game-opening line brawl last Wednesday and already missed yesterday’s contest against the Sens. Injuries have sidelined Marino, the Devils’ top right-shot defender with Dougie Hamilton out long-term, for five of their last 12 games. The shutdown blue-liner has been better offensively but worse defensively than last year, notching 25 points in 71 games but logging an xG% south of 50 for only the second time in his career. He has three seasons remaining on his contract at a $4.4MM cap hit, with an eight-team no-trade list that kicks in this summer.
  • The Blue Jackets have center Sean Kuraly back in the lineup today against the Hurricanes, per the team’s Jeff Svoboda. The news ends a few days of will-he-won’t-he from head coach Pascal Vincent and marks his first appearance since sustaining a lower-body injury against the Canadiens on March 12. Now in his third season in his native Ohio, Kuraly has nine goals and 17 points in 57 games this year while averaging 13:33 per game, down from the 15-plus minutes he’d averaged since arriving in Columbus in 2021.

Morning Notes: Anisimov, Moser, Lazar

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Artem Anisimov isn’t ready to call it quits just yet, signing a professional try-out contract with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. This brings Anisimov back into the New York Rangers organization, the same place he started his career after going 54th overall in the 2006 NHL Draft. Anisimov played in two seasons for Hartford after being drafted, scoring a strong 124 points in 154 games. The scoring was strong enough to earn him his NHL debut in 2009, with Anisimov quickly becoming an everyday NHL talent with 18 goals and 44 points in 82 games during his sophomore 2010-11 season.

Anisimov was moved to the Columbus Blue Jackets after four seasons with the Rangers. He spent three more in Columbus, before spending four years in Chicago and two in Ottawa. All the while, Anisimov remained a fantastic depth scorer, recording four seasons of 20-or-more goals in his nine seasons outside of New York. His career totaled 771 games and 376 points before Anisimov slipped away from the NHL, moving to Russia’s KHL for the 2021-22 season and spending last year with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. The 35-year-old centerman managed 19 goals and 36 points in 55 AHL games last year, suggesting that he may have some more left in the tank. He’ll have a chance to prove that now back where his career started.

More notes from around the league:

  • J.J. Moser is set to return to the Arizona Coyotes lineup on Tuesday. The young defender missed two games after suffering an upper-body injury on December 23rd. Moser is in his third NHL season and has 15 points and a +8 through 33 games on the year. It’s the first time in Moser’s young career that he’s had a positive +/-.
  • Curtis Lazar returned to the New Jersey Devils’ practice on Tuesday, after missing the team’s last three games with a lower-body injury. Lazar has been designated as day-to-day and was a game-time decision for both Friday and Saturday. Lazar has been an important piece of the Devils lineup when he can go, netting four goals and 10 points through 30 games this season.

Metropolitan Notes: Pacioretty, Bear, Cizikas, Lazar, Penguins

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5:30 PM: Curtis Lazar has been declared ’out’ for Friday.

5:00 PM: The Washington Capitals will have to wait a little longer for the highly-anticipated debuts of newcomers Max Pacioretty and Ethan Bear, with both players set to sit out of the team’s Friday night game. Both players signed with the Capitals during their recovery from injury, with Pacioretty coming back from his second Achille’s tendon tear and Bear recovering from a shoulder surgery required after taking a big hit during the 2023 World Championships.

Pacioretty joined Washington this summer, signing a one-year, $2MM contract with the club on July 1st. Pacioretty only appeared in five games last season, although he did manage three goals. His 2021-22 season didn’t last for much longer, only seeing 39 games and 37 points. We have to go back to the 2019-20 season to find the last year that Pacioretty appeared in 50 or more regular season games. That year was his second with the Vegas Golden Knights and saw the 855-game veteran record 32 goals and 66 points in 71 games.

Bear’s injury struggles haven’t been as long-running, with the defender managing 61 games with the Vancouver Canucks last season. He scored 16 points through that stretch, marking the second-most points he’s scored in his career, behind his 2019-20 season which saw him net 21 points in 71 games with the Edmonton Oilers. Washington will become the fourth organization that Bear has been apart of through his five-year NHL career, which has been split evenly between two Pacific Division and two Metropolitan Division teams.

Other Metropolitan Division Notes:

Injury Updates: Jones, Lazar, Kuraly

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Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones has not dressed for a game in 17 days due to a shoulder injury, but according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis, he could be getting closer to a return. He’s set to begin skating after the team’s five-game road trip concludes, and could see a return to game action relatively quickly after that point.

Jones is the Blackhawks’ most important defenseman and arguably the team’s most important player outside of rookie phenom Connor Bedard. Although he only has 11 points in 27 games this season, he’s averaging over 25 minutes of ice time per night and anchors both the team’s power play and penalty kill. Getting him back in the lineup would do wonders for the Blackhawks’ ability to remain competitive on a nightly basis.

Some more injury updates from across the NHL:

  • New Jersey Devils forward Curtis Lazar is “a bit banged up” according to team reporter Amanda Stein, and head coach Lindy Ruff says he’s out day-to-day. A hard-working bottom-six winger for New Jersey, Lazar has scored 10 points in 30 games this season and plays a secondary role on the team’s penalty kill. With Lazar out the Devils appear to be slated to run seven defensemen, although the team could also opt to have veteran Chris Tierney fill Lazar’s role while Lazar is out.
  • After a scary-looking abdominal injury, it appears veteran forward Sean Kuraly has avoided a significant absence. The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that Kuraly would miss tonight’s game against the Devils, but that his status is considered day-to-day. That’s encouraging news for the penalty-killing specialist, as at first glance it seemed unlikely he would miss such a brief amount of time.

Metropolitan Notes: Oshie, Martin, Texier, Lazar

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After leaving Friday’s game against Edmonton following a collision with Mattias Ekholm, Capitals winger T.J. Oshie will not travel with the team for their upcoming five-game West Coast road trip, reports Sammi Silber of The Hockey News.  Oshie has dealt with concussion issues throughout his career and while the team didn’t call the injury that, they’re clearly taking a cautious approach with the 36-year-old.  It has been a particularly challenging year on the ice for Oshie, who has been limited to just one goal and one assist through his first 17 games of the season, numbers that are by far the worst of his career.  Oshie has one year left on his contract after this one which carries a $5.75MM AAV.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • After putting Adam Pelech on LTIR earlier in the day, the Islanders also announced (Twitter link) that winger Matt Martin has been placed on IR. The placement is retroactive to November 15th which means that he will be eligible to be activated as soon as he is cleared to return.  Martin has a goal and an assist in 14 games this season along with seven penalty minutes and 31 hits while his playing time has dipped to just 8:27 per night.
  • Blue Jackets winger Alexandre Texier has joined the team on its road trip, relays Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 24-year-old has missed the last two games due to illness but evidently has been cleared to return.  After spending last season in Switzerland, Texier is off to a relatively quiet start to his season, notching four goals and three assists in his first 19 games despite logging more than 16 minutes a night of ice time, a career-best.
  • Devils forward Curtis Lazar is listed as questionable for tonight’s game against Buffalo due to a lower-body injury sustained yesterday against Columbus, notes NHL.com’s Mike Morreale (Twitter link). The 28-year-old is in his first full season with New Jersey who acquired him from Vancouver at the trade deadline last March.  Lazar has three goals and two assists along with 37 hits in 17 games so far in just over 12 minutes a night of action.

Timo Meier Will Not Play In Game One

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New Jersey Devils forward Timo Meier will not play in game one against the Carolina Hurricanes. The news was tweeted out by NHL.com writer Tom Gulitti just moments ago. Meier did not dress for the warm-up and will be replaced in the lineup by one of Jesper Boqvist or Curtis Lazar.

Meier famously took a high hit from New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba in game seven of their first round series. He stayed down after the hit and needed medical attention from the Devils staff before he was able to skate off the ice under his own power. Meier later returned for the end of the game and had a cordial exchange with Trouba in the handshake line.

Meier was acquired by the Devils at the NHL trade deadline from the San Jose Sharks and took some time to adjust to the new team and system. He produced a respectable 14 points in 21 games with New Jersey to finish out the regular season but failed to produce a single point in the seven-game series with the Rangers.

The Devils haven’t made much information available on Meier’s condition and had original deemed him to be a game time decision earlier today. With Meier now scratched for game one it will be interesting to see what more is revealed prior to game two on Friday.

East Injury Notes: Meier, Kane, Drury

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The New Jersey Devils are entering Game 1 on the road tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes with the status of their main trade deadline acquisition uncertain. Winger Timo Meier is a game-time decision after taking a hard hit from New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba in the team’s Game 7 win on Monday, per head coach Lindy Ruff.

Meier hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations yet, especially with no points in the team’s series victory over New York. He did have nine goals in 21 games for New Jersey down the stretch, however, and has shown to be a valuable offensive weapon in playoffs past with San Jose. If he’s unable to play, one of Curtis Lazar or Jesper Boqvist will draw into the New Jersey lineup.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • Now-pending UFA winger Patrick Kane told reporters at the Rangers’ end-of-season availability today that he was never 100 percent healthy after the trade to New York, but praised the team’s training staff for trying to get him there. Kane did not rule out off-season surgery for the lower-body injury that plagued him the entire 2022-23 season. Kane recorded one goal in seven playoff games for the Rangers and posted a career-low 57 points in the regular season (in a full season).
  • Carolina Hurricanes winger Jack Drury is expected to return from an upper-body injury tonight when they host New Jersey to start their second-round series. Drury, 23, has slotted into Carolina’s top six with injuries to multiple key wingers. He’ll look to register his first point of the playoffs tonight, expected to flank Jordan Staal and Martin Necas on the team’s second line.

Metro Injury Notes: Devils, Romanov, Blue Jackets

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Erik Haula and Curtis Lazar will both be available for tomorrow’s game for the New Jersey Devils according to Amanda Stein, the team’s lead reporter. Furthermore, she adds that forward Michael McLeod will not be available yet, but head coach Lindy Ruff is hoping he will practice with the team soon.

Haula has not played for the Devils since their April 6th win against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but will now be available for New Jersey come playoff time. Since being acquired from the Boston Bruins this past offseason, Haula has chipped in nicely for the Devils, scoring 12 goals and 27 assists so far this year. That is a pretty typical year for Haula, as he has become one of the most dependable players in the NHL over the course of his decade-long career.

Lazar, who was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks at the trade deadline, has only managed three games in New Jersey, getting injured on their March 18th game against the Florida Panthers. Being out for almost a month, it is unclear whether or not Lazar will be a part of the Devils’ regular playoff lineup. In 48 games so far this year, a majority of which in Vancouver, Lazar has three goals and two assists.

Similar to Haula, McLeod has been out of the Devils’ lineup for a little under a week. The young forward is continuing to progress throughout his short career, setting a new career-high in points this year with 26. Originally drafted 12th overall by New Jersey in the 2016 NHL Draft, McLeod has yet to break out into the league in accordance with his draft selection. Although he is not a world-breaker when it comes to scoring, he has become one of the Devils’ most physical forwards, throwing over 120 hits the last two seasons.

Other injury notes from the Metro Division:

  • In the first year of a 3-year, $7.5MM contract signed with the New York Islanders this past summer, Alexander Romanov has been out of the lineup since the team’s game on April 1st. The Islanders are still battling for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and they may be getting Romanov sooner rather than later. Andrew Gross of Newsday is reporting that Romanov has recently begun skating on his own again. Being one of the better low-key defensemen in the NHL, Romanov has 129 blocked shots and 198 hits for the Islanders this season.
  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that none of the currently injured Columbus Blue Jackets players will return for the regular season. This includes such players as Boone Jenner, Patrik Laine, and Elvis Merzlikins. Because of the Blue Jackets’ placement in the standings, it is understandable that they would not want to rush any player back from an injury. From Columbus’ perspective, this season is lost, and it will be better for them to have everyone healthy and rested for the start of the 2023-24 season.

Metro Notes: Barzal, Lindgren, Carlson, Lazar

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The New York Islanders are currently in the first wild card positon, but it will be a dogfight till the end of the season to secure their spot in the postseason. Every game matters and there was some good news this morning as head coach Lane Lambert told reporters, including Andrew Gross of Newsday, that the team is hopeful Mathew Barzal can return before the end of the regular season.

Barzal was listed as week-to-week over a month ago and hasn’t played since his third shift on February 18. The 25-year-old forward had 51 points in 58 games when he went down to injury, and would be a huge boost for the Islanders if things do come down to the last few games of the season.

  • One of their Metropolitan Division rivals is about to get their own injury reinforcement, as Ryan Lindgren will return tonight for the New York Rangers. Lindgren hasn’t played since February 25, but returns to a Rangers team that has won four straight and is slowly closing the gap between them and the division leaders.
  • Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic reports that John Carlson is close to returning for the Washington Capitals, but won’t play tonight. The injured defenseman was spotted in a regular jersey for the first time yesterday and is expected to make his long-awaited return this week. Carlson has been out since suffering a skull fracture back in December.
  • 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.

Injury Notes: Lindgren, Lazar, Foligno

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The New York Rangers are beginning to roll after some big-ticket trade deadline additions but still have been without a notable piece to their defense core. That may change this week, as Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant told reporters today that he would “bet a lot” on defenseman Ryan Lindgren returning to the lineup on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Lindgren, the normal partner to Adam Fox on the team’s top pair, is widely regarded as the team’s best defensive specialist. The stats back it up, with solid advanced defensive metrics and a team-leading +27 rating. They’ve been without his services for the past three weeks with an upper-body injury, however, forcing depth defender Niko Mikkola into a top-pairing role. He’ll miss his 11th straight game today, but the team is hoping his return this week adds to an already strong stretch of hockey for New York.

  • 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.
  • The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports winger Marcus Foligno will join the Minnesota Wild on their upcoming road trip, signaling a potential return from a lower-body injury that’s held him out of action this week. The news means that Foligno could return to the lineup either Tuesday against New Jersey or Thursday against Philadelphia, a promising development for a Wild team getting hot at the right time. With Marcus Johansson re-emerging as a middle-six force after being acquired from Washington, Foligno could slot back into a more comfortable bottom-six role in his return.

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