Pesce has not played since suffering an upper-body injury on October 26th, but appears to nearing a return to the lineup. The 30-year-old defenseman has been a stabilizing force on New Jersey's blueline when healthy, averaging 19:39 time-on-ice and scoring three points (0G / 3A) in nine games.
Legare has played four career NHL games, but has primarily been an AHL player. The 24-year-old forward has five points (3G / 2A) in 21 games with the Utica Comets (AHL) this season.
Nemec has not played the last two games for the Devils due to an undisclosed injury and has been placed on Injured Reserve. It's unclear when the talented Slovak defenseman might return to the lineup, but the Devils' Head Coach Sheldon Keefe stated he is expected to miss "some time" and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Gritsyuk has been productive in his first NHL season, scoring 16 points (7G / 9A) in 31 games. The 24-year-old saw a promotion to the Devils' top powerplay unit in their most recent game, but he suffered an upper-body injury and will not be in the lineup this weekend.
Markstrom has been unreliable and inconsistent between the pipes this season, but the Devils are hoping he can build momentum off a solid 35-save performance (.921 SV%) in their most recent game, a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. The 35-year-old Markstrom has an ugly 3.48 GAA and .880 SV% in 15 games (8-6-1) and is sporting a career-worst 29 percent quality start rate. The Devils enter Thursday's contest as +120 home underdogs against a Tampa Bay Lightning team that erupted for a 6-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens in their last game after being shut out in two straight.
Timo Meier (personal) will not play on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, allowing Parent to draw into the lineup for his NHL debut. Parent is an undrafted 24-year-old that has spent the previous four seasons in the AHL with the Utica Comets. He has 12 points (6G / 6A) in 20 games with Utica this season.
Markstrom has been unreliable and inconsistent between the pipes this season, but the Devils are hoping he can build momentum off a solid 35-save performance (.921 SV%) in their most recent game, a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. The 35-year-old Markstrom has an ugly 3.48 GAA and .880 SV% in 15 games (8-6-1) and is sporting a career-worst 29 percent quality start rate. The Devils enter Thursday's contest as +120 home underdogs against a Tampa Bay Lightning team that erupted for a 6-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens in their last game after being shut out in two straight.
Meier will not play on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning and it is unclear when he might return to the lineup, as he is way from the team to tend to a personal family matter. The 29-year-old Meier only has one point (1G / 0A) in his last four games, but is pacing for his best offensive output since joining the Devils, with 23 points (11G / 12A) in 30 games.
Cholowski will take a seat on Tuesday in favour of Colton White. Cholowski has zero goals and one assist in 13 games this season.
White will draw back in on Tuesday as Dennis Cholowski draws out of the lineup. White is yet to register a point through 9 games this season.
After starting the season with a league-best 8-1-0 record, the Devils have gone 8-11-1 since, tied heavily to the absence of superstar forward Jack Hughes (hand). Unfortunately for the Devils, Markstrom has not been able to solidify his game while the team has struggled offensively, allowing three or more goals in eight of his last nine games (4-4-1). The 35-year-old veteran goalie has an ugly 3.51 GAA and .876 SV% in 14 games this season (7-6-1). The Devils enter Tuesday's contest as +124 road underdogs against an Ottawa Senators team that has lost four of its last five (1-4-0).
After starting the season with a league-best 8-1-0 record, the Devils have gone 8-11-1 since, tied heavily to the absence of superstar forward Jack Hughes (hand). Unfortunately for the Devils, Markstrom has not been able to solidify his game while the team has struggled offensively, allowing three or more goals in eight of his last nine games (4-4-1). The 35-year-old veteran goalie has an ugly 3.51 GAA and .876 SV% in 14 games this season (7-6-1). The Devils enter Tuesday's contest as +124 road underdogs against an Ottawa Senators team that has lost four of its last five (1-4-0).
