PITTSBURGH — So much for easing Travis Zajac into action in his second comeback. His return to the Devils tonight is part of a wholesale shakeup of the team’s dormant offense.
Zajac is expected to center Ilya Kovalchuk when the Devils visit the NHL’s hottest team, the Penguins.
Zajac has missed 37 straight games since aggravating his surgically repaired Achilles tendon in December, after he missed the first 30 games of the season following the surgery in mid-August.
“I’m not figuring on playing too much right off the bat,” Zajac said, perhaps naively. In his previous eight-game return, he started on the third line, before penalty-killing later helped send him to sidelines again.
Alexei Ponikarovsky lined up as left wing with Zajac and right wing Kovalchuk, while Zach Parise was separated from Kovalchuk, aligned with Patrik Elias and Dainius Zubrus.
It might appear curious that righty Zajac is with Kovalchuk on the right wing, and lefty Elias with left wing Parise, each center having his big gun on his backhand. Coach Pete DeBoer already knows Zajac-Parise, Elias-Kovalchuk are class combos.
“We’re trying to get some consistent combinations heading into the playoffs,” DeBoer said. “We’re moving things around, trying to find something that works.”
The Devils are 2-3-1 in their last six games. They scored eight total goals in that stretch, with both victories requiring shutouts.
The Devils can only hope Zajac provides a boost as they visit the Penguins, who are 13-1-1 in their last 15, a stretch that started Feb. 21. Since that date, the Devils are 7-7-2, and have lost to the Leafs (shootout Friday), Lightning and Islanders. They were trounced 5-2 by the Penguins on March 17 in Newark.
“[Zajac is] our No. 1 centerman. That speaks for itself,” Parise said. “There’s no time to ease anyone in. You have to throw them right in.”
“We’ll see how many minutes [Zajac] can handle,” DeBoer said.
Kovalchuk welcomed the chance to play with Zajac, although it means rookie Adam Henrique will move to the third line, with Petr Sykora and David Clarkson. Jacob Josefson skated with Steve Bernier and Ryan Carter.
“He looks much, much better than when he came back the first time,” Kovalchuk said. “He’s our No. 1 center for a reason.”
* Anton Volchenkov sat out practice yesterday, but DeBoer said he doesn’t anticipate any problem that would idle him tonight.