NEWARK, N.J. – New Jersey Devils coach Peter DeBoer is making no changes to his lineup for Saturday night's Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against Los Angeles (8 p.m., ET, NBC), but he again opened the door to the possibility that defenseman Henrik Tallindercould soon rejoin the lineup.
By Bruce Bennett, Getty Images
Devils defenseman Henrik Tallinder has missed 55 games this season because of a blod clot in his lower leg.
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"You might see him as the series goes forward here," DeBoer said.
Tallinder, 33, has been out since Jan. 19 with a blood clot in his lower leg.
"I know he's kept himself in great shape," DeBoer said. "He looks good in practice. Before he went out, he was a top-two defenseman for us."
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Tallinder has missed 55 games, counting the regular-season and playoffs.
"It didn't hurt (Travis) Zajac coming back in," DeBoer said of his forward who tore his Achilles tendon during offseason. "I know you're jumping into the Stanley Cup Final, not into the last week of the regular season.
Zajac missed 37 games with an injury from Jan. 4 to March 23, and finished with only 15 games played in the regular season.
"(Jacob) Josefson jumped in last round against the Rangers coming off six weeks out with a broken wrist," DeBoer said, "and it didn't hurt him."
That doesn't mean DeBoer doesn't have some concern about the reoccurrence of the clot.
"You worry about it," DeBoer said. "Our doctors, trainers and (Tallinder) have a comfort level, or he wouldn't be traveling with us (to Los Angeles). It's definitely an issue. A lot of people point to airplane flights as the cause for that."
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