MORNING SKATE RECAP

NEWARK, NJ. – The Devils held an optional morning skate at Prudential Center ahead of hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets in a proverbial must-win game.

Taking part were forwards Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Arseny Gritsyuk, Lenni Hameenaho, Maxim Tsyplakov, Evgenii Dadonov, Paul Cotter, Luke Glendening, Juho Lammikko, defenseman Colton White and goalie Jake Allen.

Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe met with the media after the skate.

The biggest question facing the team is the status of center Jack Hughes, who missed the last game due to a lower-body injury. He will also miss the contest against Columbus.

“Not available tonight,” Keefe said. “I know his goal is to play on Thursday. He’s doing everything he can to get to the point. It’s really up to the medical team and at this point they’re not confident with where he’s at. We’ll see what tomorrow brings. He’s trying to do everything he can to get himself to the point that he’s able to play without putting himself in a bad spot. The medical team is not at the point where they’re comfortable with him getting out with the group.”

Keefe said Hughes needs the strength in order to return.

“It’s the level of strength and pain subsiding,” Keefe said. “It’s more so the strength to have the necessary reinforcement that you need to play an NHL game.”

Keefe said the lineup will likely be what they used in practice on Monday, which is below…

Meier – Glass – Brown
Gritsyuk – Hischier – Hameenaho
Bratt – Cotter – Mercer
Lammikko – Glendening – Tsyplakov

Siegenthaler – Kovacevic
Pesce – Hamilton
Dillon – Nemec

Kovy Rounding In

Keefe talked about the play of defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic, who missed the opening half of the season following summer knee surgery. He made his season debut on Jan. 11 and has appeared in nine games so far.

While the team is delighted his back in the lineup, the expectations are tempered knowing that it will take time for him to reach the standard of play he was at last season.

“He’s getting there. He’s not at that level yet,” Keefe said. “He said he’s starting to get to the point where he’s thinking less and just playing freely. His body feels better during games, between periods, after games. I think he’s starting to feel better. With that we expect his game to continue to get better.”

For Kovacevic, the adaption is less physical than mental.

“It’s the processing speed,” Keefe said. “It’s the ability to make a play under pressure. It’s the ability to make a decision in a split second to be able to recover positionally or where you put the puck. So many different things happen at such a high rate. That’s what takes a while. It’s not the actual skating, it’s the processing of the game and matching that with how you skate and how you move around the ice.

“That’s the greatest challenge for players that have missed a great deal of time.”