Kovy out 2-4 weeks, other Devils injury updates

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Derek

A few minutes ago, Devils GM Lou Lamoriello met the media and gave a detailed update on the team’s various injuries.  Apparently the worst-case scenario has been averted in terms of Ilya Kovalchuk‘s shoulder injury as x-rays were negative, and his timetable for returning was given as 2-4 weeks, though Lou said it ‘may be shorter, certainly not longer’.  That last part is encouraging, until you realize four weeks puts the Devils at the end of the regular season.  Or to be precise, four weeks from today is the beginning of the final, crucial four-game stretch of 2013 with a game at the Garden against the Rangers.  As of now, the Devils are sitting in seventh with a four-point cushion over Carolina and the Rangers for the last playoff spot, though each team has two games in hand at the moment.

Further updates were given on injured forward Danius Zubrus – who won’t join the team at any point of their upcoming three-game road trip to Ottawa before a pair of games in Florida next weekend – and Alexei Ponikarovsky, who’s been ruled out for the Monday tilt in Ottawa but not yet for the Florida trip.  Harri Pesonen‘s been recalled from Albany to take Kovy’s place on the active roster, and will wear #9 now, in the latest edition of musical uniform numbers.  Defenseman Henrik Tallinder is also apparently ready to return (though with the Devils’ defense clicking for the most part, he might not get in the lineup the next few games), and according to various sources he suffered a sprained ankle of all things playing soccer in the locker room before the pregame skate.
Although the nightmare scenario of Kovy being done for the season has been averted for the moment, fact is this team still has a bit of work to do to survive the bubble without him.  Both Kovy and Zubrus will be out for the next three games, and it seems as if Kovy will be out six at least (judging by the two-week part of the timetable), and twelve at most.  While it’s true Kovy wasn’t producing as much on even strength for the most part, they’ll definitely miss him on special teams.  Even though the PP’s been bad for the most part with him he still provides a consistent threat on a unit that reached a new level of hideousness on the five-minute major without him yesterday, and certainly they’ll miss him and his four SH goals on the PK.
As a team currently, the Devils have 36 points in 32 games.  Basically any team except Florida has a fighting chance of making the postseason in a jumbled-up East, as evidenced by 14th place Tampa Bay being five points out and firing coach Guy Boucher this morning.  Pretty much the Devils’ only advantage down the stretch is their schedule is spaced out more than some other teams’.  Having a healthy Martin Brodeur and the merry-go-round defense finally clicking with a consistent starting six does help, they may have to win a few 2-1 games to see this thing through.  Ironically our next opponent’s shown the NHL how you deal with injuries – and not just injuries, but multiple, major injuries.  We have to follow the Sens’ example, there’s no more wiggle room to give away points.
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About Derek

Derek is a creative writer who enjoys taking photographs, working on poetry, and covering hockey. A free spirit who loves the outdoors, a diverse selection of music, and writing, he's a former St. John's University alumni with a degree in Sports Management. Derek covers the Rangers for Battle of Hudson and is a contributor to The Hockey Writers. His appreciation of art and nature are his true passions.
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