The New Jersey Devils made a couple of roster moves Saturday morning prior to their game against the Washington Capitals. First, goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood will not suit up as he is dealing with an upper-body injury. Second, Ben Street was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
NEWS: #NJDevils have placed F Ben Street (upper body) on injured reserve, retroactive to 1/9/2020 at NY Rangers.
The club has recalled G Evan Cormier from Binghamton (AHL), he joins the team for today’s morning skate.
G Mackenzie Blackwood (upper body) will be out tonight.
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 11, 2020
Blackwood and Street Injured
During the Devils morning skate in Washington, the team had a few notable absences. Blackwood continues to deal with an upper-body injury, he suffered against the New York Islanders on Tuesday. Blackwood was hit in the face from a Ryan Pulock shot losing four teeth. He had dental work to repair his teeth and played against the New York Rangers on Thursday. However, he did not look like himself. With games on back-to-back nights, the team felt it best to leave Blackwood in New Jersey.
In addition to the Blackwood injury, the Devils put Street on injured reserved. It is unclear when the injury occurred, and what the actual injury is but it is serious enough for him to miss time. Street’s placement on IR is retroactive to the Rangers game on Thursday. Since returning to the NHL from the AHL, Street has one assist in three games.
Going Forward
With Blackwood out, the Devils were in need of a backup goalie. Insert Evan Cormier in the backup role as Louis Domingue will get the start against the Capitals. It is unclear if Domingue gets back-to-back starts, as the Devils play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. It will all depend on how Domingue performs on Saturday and how Blackwood feels on Sunday.
The Devils got some good news Saturday as Jesper Bratt will return to the lineup after missing the past several games with an injury. He will be back on the top line with Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri. John Hayden will return to the lineup alongside Jesper Boqvist and Kevin Rooney.
In addition, Devils rookie Jack Hughes remains out of the lineup. He will miss his fifth straight game with an upper-body injury.
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