Injury Updates at Practice | NOTEBOOK

The Devils are practicing at the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House inside Prudential Center following the conclusion of their four-game West Coast trip.

Stay tuned to the notebook for the latest info, updates, interviews, videos and more from the practice session!

Practice Details

The Devils have three injured players on the ice for practice. Forwards Cody Glass (upper-body), Connor Brown (undisclosed) and Zack MacEwen (undisclosed) are joining the group.

Brown has been considered day-to-day. He skated Tuesday on his own and could possibly return to the lineup Thursday when the Devils host the Montreal Canadiens.

“We’ll see. We just want to make sure he gets through practice and is feeling good,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We’ll make a decision with the medical team tomorrow.”

As for Glass and MacEwen, while they are inching closer to a return, they are not quite there yet. Wednesday was their first time with the group and they haven’t skated on a line.

“It’s nice to see them. They both had a great skate today,” Keefe said. “That bodes well for their return in the near future. I wouldn’t expect either guy tomorrow but they have another practice on Friday. We’ll see where they’re at from there. Both felt good today. That’s very encouraging.”

Shutdown

The Devils are still missing the Cody Glass and his defensive abilities down the middle. When he was in the lineup, the club could split some of the heavy defensive lifting between Nico Hischier and Glass.

But with Glass out, Hischier has had to shoulder an even bigger load in a shutdown role. He draws the opposition’s best players and never is afforded a break. There are no easy minutes when Hischier hits the ice.

“Obviously, it’s exhausting,” Hischier said with a smile. “But overall, playing hockey games is exhausting. But I enjoy it. It’s part of my role here. I take pride in it, especially at home. I’m trying to take care of these guys. It’s not always easy. I try to take it very seriously. I try to do my job to help the team win. If I’m able to shut these guys down a bit then I’m contributing something t the team. That’s what I’m looking for.”

Pivot Player

Devils forward Dawson Mercer is off to the hottest start of his NHL career with eight goals and 14 points in the opening 13 games of the season. He has five goals and six points in the past four games and became the first player in NHL history to score two power-play goals (at San Jose) and two shorthanded goals (at Los Angeles) in back-to-back games.

“I didn’t know that,” Mercer laughed of his record. “Good news I guess.”

Mercer has fluctuated between center and wing throughout his career. He’s also swung back-and-forth during the opening dozen games of the season. Despite the constant shifting, he has continued to produce.

“There’s definitely a big different between (wing and center),” Mercer said. “But for me, I’m used to playing both of them. Whichever position I’m in during the night I’ll give it my best.”

He Said It:

Keefe on the team’s D play against Anaheim: “A lot of really bad hockey. The adjustments are to play good hockey. That would be helpful. It was not really structure based. It was habits, work ethic, awareness, that kind of stuff. Those things go out the window as you get a little more fatigued, but it went too far the other way. We’ve got to get that rectified real quick.”

He Said It 2:

Hischier on being 5-0 at home: “We’re playing good hockey. Last year, for a number of games we weren’t playing good hockey. That’s how you lose games. Here, we get the crowd going and have them on our side. That’s what we’ve been doing here.”