NHL

Devils’ Parise may play before end of season

BOSTON — It’s three weeks today since Zach Parise was given 3-to-4 weeks before resuming practice, and the informed expectation is that he will seek medical clearance this week to rejoin the Devils. If so, a return to the lineup might be possible late next week.

But there appears little need to risk or rush now, not after the Devils lost to the Bruins 4-1 last night to fall nine points out of a playoff berth with nine games left.

What initially was forecast by the Devils to be a three-month recovery from right knee cartilage repair likely will reach five months before Parise plays for the first time since Oct. 30, when John MacLean was coaching the 12th game of his 33, and the Devils fell to 3-8-1.

General manager Lou Lamoriello would not confirm an imminent clearance exam, but said Parise’s light skating, which began March 3, has gone well.

“There have been no setbacks,” he said. “Everything is on schedule. There are no issues, no surprises, no disappointments.”

Parise, who sat out his 61st straight game last night, would be returning to a different team from the one he left in Los Angeles. He underwent the surgery Nov. 2 on the injury he sustained during summertime training. The cartilage was repaired rather than removed, which would have been brought a much quicker return, but more problems later in life.

While Parise was out, he missed a lot. MacLean was fired on Dec. 23, Jacques Lemaire was rehired, which led to the start of the Devils’ Preposterous Dream. New Jersey also traded his friend and mentor, Jamie Langenbrunner, as well as Jason Arnott.

There’s always the chance that Parise will be shut down for the season, now. But should Parise receive clearance to practice, he might start immediately, or more likely, Monday, after the Devils have a probable day off Sunday following games in Pittsburgh Friday and Buffalo Saturday.

Some observers believe Parise could play after a couple of days of practice, and the Devils play host to the Islanders next Wednesday. But they follow with consecutive night home games against the Flyers April 1 and Canadiens April 2, and those dates might be more conservative possibilities.

Parise could become a restricted free agent in July, making $5 million this season. The Devils are likely to request arbitration on June 15, which would erase his chance for restricted free agency and result in a one-year award, which would make him unrestricted July 1, 2012.

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Johan Hedberg survived a scare in practice Monday, when Ilya Kovalchuk’s 25-footer shattered the hanging plastic neck protector he wears beneath his chin.

“I’m fine, but if I didn’t have it, I’d probably have a broken collarbone,” Hedberg said.

A fresh one was installed.