by The New Jersey Devils hit the ice at 10:30 a.m. for their morning skate at the Prudential Center before heading across the Hudson River to face the New York Rangers on Monday.
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Prior to the team’s on-ice session, the organization announced that forwards Mike Hardman and Nathan Légaré had been recalled from the Utica Comets (American Hockey League). In a corresponding move, Shane Bowers was reassigned to the Comets, who will play Wednesday night.
Veteran winger Tomas Tatar, who is dealing with a daily lower-body injury, was not on the ice with his teammates. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters that the 34-year-old is improving and that he would be “very surprised” if Tatar was not available for his next game.
Nathan Bastian skated with his teammates in full shield. He recently participated in morning practice and today served as a backup for Jack Hughes, who was not in morning practice but will play against New York.
#NEWS: Jack is not at morning practice but he should play tonight.
– New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) December 2, 2024
The coaching staff used the follow lines and pairs:
Ondrej Palat – (Nathan Bastian) – Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier – Nico Hischier – Stefan Noesen
Paul Cotter-Erik Haula-Dawson Mercer
Mike Hardman – Justin Dowling – Nathan Légaré
Brenden Dillon – Dougie Hamilton
Jonas Siegenthaler – Johnathan Kovacevic
Luke Hughes – Brett Pesce
Tonight will mark Légaré’s NHL debut. The 74th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, his career began with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization before being traded to the Montreal Canadiens. The Devils acquired him from Montreal in exchange for Arnaud Durandeau – who they acquired in a trade for Tyce Thompson – on March 11, 2024.
By MSGN play-by-play announcer Bill Spaulding and Jacob Markstrom were in the starter’s net. The goaltender is 9-4-2 in 16 games with a 2.43 goals-against average and .916 save percentage against the Rangers during his career.
Matt Rempe of the Rangers remains in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Last season, he played in three games against New Jersey and was ejected from all of them with a match penalty and two misconducts.
Fans can watch tonight’s show on MSGSN or listen to it on Devils Hockey Network.
Be sure to bookmark THN’s New Jersey Devils site for the latest THN news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and much more.
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