Devils won't have Zajac, Lovejoy vs. Flyers

The New Jersey Devils will be without Travis Zajac and Ben Lovejoy when they face the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon.

Zajac, a centre, and Lovejoy, a defenseman, both sustained lower-body injuries in the Devils' 5-3 home loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.

Coach John Hynes called the players' status day-to-day pending evaluations next week, although after Saturday the Devils won't play again until Thursday, a home game against the Nashville Predators.

The 33-year-old Zajac, who is in his 13th NHL season, has four points (two goals, two assists) in five games. Lovejoy, 34, an 11-year veteran, has one assist and is averaging 15:49 of ice time.

Also, goalie Cory Schneider is expected to be in goal Saturday with Binghamton on a conditioning loan. Schneider is coming off surgery in May to have hip surgery to repair torn cartilage.

"We want to see him get through a game, see how he responds to 60 minutes while working in more read-and-react situations than just practice," Hynes said. "It's important for him to play a live-game situation against another opponent where the score of the game matters. We're excited for him. It's a good opportunity for him to get back in and get his game back."

In 370 career games (354 starts) over 10 previous seasons, Schneider has a record of 161-140, with a save percentage of .920 per cent and 2.36 goals against average.

(With inputs from agencies.)