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Two Wins Tucked Away: Mercer Powers Devils to Victory Ahead of Home Opener

  Photo: Andrew MacLean The New Jersey Devils survived a chaotic, late-game flurry in Columbus to secure their second straight victory on Monday night, defeating the Blue Jackets 3-2 to cap off their opening road trip. The star of the dramatic finish was forward Dawson Mercer, who netted a pair of goals—including the decisive empty-net marker—that momentarily gave the Devils a two-goal cushion before the Blue Jackets scored with 20 seconds left to keep the tension high until the final horn. Having collected four points out of a possible six on the road, New Jersey now turns its focus to the familiar roar of the Prudential Center crowd. The team finally heads home to Newark, where they will open their home slate on Thursday night with a pivotal early-season clash against the formidable Florida Panthers. New Jersey Devils Lineup: Palat - Hughes - Bratt Meier - Hischier - Mercer Gritsyuk - Glass - Brown Cotter - Glendening - Halonen Hughes - Pesce Siegenthaler - Hamilton Dillon - Neme...

Update: Crosby Continuing To Be Evaluated For Upper-Body Injury

 







Mike Sullivan said on Thursday, February 6th, that captain Sidney Crosby is continuing to be evaluated for an upper-body injury sustained against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, February 4th.


During the Penguins' morning practice on Thursday, Crosby did an individual workout in full gear on the other rink as the rest of the team practiced together on the other at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. The captain had been skating with both the director of player development Tom Kostopoulos and skills consultant Josh Wrobel.



Head Coach Mike Sullivan on Sidney Crosby: "Obviously, he skated on his own today. That was pre-planned. He's continuing to be evaluated. We'll probably have more information on his status tomorrow."





The Penguins, without Crosby, used the following line rushes on Thursday...


Anthony Beauvillier - Rickard Rakell - Bryan Rust

Michael Bunting - Cody Glass - Danton Heinen

Matt Nieto - Kevin Hayes - Phil Tomasino

Boko Imama - Blake Lizotte - Noel Acciari


P.O. Joseph - Kris Letang

Matt Grzelcyk - Erik Karlsson

Ryan Graves - David Desharnias



Mike Sullivan stated that Rakell is the middle option in place of the captain, but he added, "let's see what Sid's status is." If he's out for any length of time, "the message is the expectations haven't changed, and it's a next-man-up mindset," Sullivan said. "Guys are always looking for more ice time, want to play a more significant role - here's your opportunity. So, that's the world we live in, that's the NHL. So, when injuries occur, it provides opportunities for others."




After practice, the Pittsburgh Penguins left to head on the road for their two-game road trip to New York City and Philadelphia, the annual Highmark Dads Trip. These two games are the last Penguins games before a two-week break, where Sidney Crosby is set to captain Team Canada from February 12-20 at the 4 Nations Face-Off.


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