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Devils top Islanders, Josefson out 4-6 with fractured wrist, other notes

April 4, 2012, 12:56 PM ET [59 Comments]
Todd Cordell
New Jersey Devils Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Last night the New Jersey Devils beat the New York Islanders in what was a pretty close game. Though the Devils won the game, they lost Jacob Josefson for the next 4-6 weeks with a fractured wrist. Here are some notes on the game and the injury.

- You have to feel bad for Jacob Josefson. As I said last night, he just can't catch a break (pun not intended). He's been playing great hockey at both ends of the rink for the Devils over the past 20 games or so and was finally coming into his own as a player. Now, he has a setback like this. The worst part is that unless the Devils make it to the 2nd round (there's a decent chance, I'd say) there is no chance Josefson will play in a playoff game this year.

- Many have asked me what I think the Devils will do to replace Josefson, so I figure I should touch on it. Ryan Carter is a center, and he's been playing left wing for the last little while. I think Carter will shift over to center on the 4th line, and that Eric Boulton, who has sat the last 10 games or so, will move into the lineup as the 4th line left wing. I'm not saying this is what I think the Devils should or shouldn't do, I'm just stating what I think will happen.

- A few notes on last night's game...Johan Hedberg was very good once again. He apparently hasn't decided if he wants to return yet or not, but I have read that if he returns it must be with the Devils. If he wants to come back for one more year, I think Lou Lamoriello should bring him back. He understands his role, has done a great job in it and his teammates love him.

- I really liked what I saw from Steve Bernier and Cam Janssen last night. Bernier had four hits in a little over 13 minutes of play. Janssen, on the other hand, had five hits and a spirited scrap with Michael Haley.

- The Devils top line was also very good, and all three players on it contributed. Travis Zajac scored the game winner and played over 20 minutes for the first time since returning. Ilya Kovalchuk had the empty-netter and a couple of quality chances in 23:47. Zach Parise had two assists and 2 shots. Pete DeBoer must be thrilled that this line is working well and getting into groove right before the playoffs.

- Marek Zidlicky had a quiet but effective game. He recorded three hits and played over 26 minutes. Remember when people questioned the trade for him? Look what Nick Palmieri, Stephane Veilleux and Kurtis Foster have contributed to the Wild.

- With last night's win the Devils now have 98 points on the season. They need one win in their final two games (vs. Detroit and Ottawa) or two overtime/shootout losses to reach the 100 point mark. I certainly think that's doable.

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