Devils’ Zajac has no luck in Winnipeg

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This article was published 14/01/2012 (5008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipegger Travis Zajac will miss his second straight chance to play in his hometown today when his New Jersey Devils face off against the Winnipeg Jets at the MTS Centre.

The 25-year-old centre, in his sixth NHL season, has been limited to just eight games this season. He had surgery after he ruptured his Achilles tendon in mid-August.

Zajac wasn’t quite ready to return when the Devils visited in early December, a game won 4-2 by the Jets. He did get back into the lineup Dec. 16, but this week it was decided he’ll rest until after the NHL’s all-star break because of soreness.

“You try and push the frustration aside,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said Friday. “We haven’t had him. The circumstances of a summer injury are obviously frustrating because we’re obviously a lot better team with him in. Even the few games he’s played, he makes us a much better team with what he does at both ends of the rink and how he makes players around him better.

“But coaches can’t get frustrated by injury situations in this league or you drive yourself crazy. That’s what you deal with. He just has to get better. We need him in March and April a lot more than we need him right now and that’s the focus.”

DeBoer knows that Zajac, who’s been here this week consulting with doctors, really wanted to play this week.

“I’m sure (he’s) real frustrated,” DeBoer said. “This is a guy that came off a good year last year and was looking, I think, to take his game to another level this year. I can’t imagine how frustrated he is.

“He wanted desperately to play here in Winnipeg. Even the first time through. For a kid who grew up here, this is a dream come true to play in this building in front of his family. So you feel for him.”

The Devils, who lost in Calgary Tuesday but rebounded to beat the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday, are five points higher than the Jets in the Eastern Conference standings.

“All the Canadian teams, they play really hard at home,” said Devils left-winger Ilya Kovalchuk. “It’s a great challenge for us. They’ll be desperate. So will (we). It’s four-point games.”

The Devils have already experienced the MTS Centre, so they know a little better what they’ll face today.

“Every time you play in Canada, these are fun games,” said veteran goalie Martin Brodeur, who’s expected to start today. “I think the fans are getting into it.

“And right now, the Jets are right against us in the standings.”

Brodeur found it amusing that the Devils came all this way for a game against a Southeast Division opponent.

“It’s kind of far to go southeast,” he said with a laugh. “Southeast, I don’t know where we went through to get here. That’s the situation they’re in. I think they suffer a lot more than we do, put it this way.”

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Kovalchuk, the former Atlanta Thrasher who leads the Devils in goals this season with 17, felt the “love” of the Winnipeg fans in December. He was their chosen boo-ing target.

“It’s not unique to me, definitely,” he grinned. “It’s the fans and it’s nice when they’re passionate like that. They support the team real well. I think it’s one of the loudest buildings I ever played in. It’s great atmosphere.

“It’s great for the NHL. Canadian teams, it’s always big. You can see the TV, all day long, they show the highlights and they talk about (Mike) Cammalleri now.”

After today’s game, the Devils return home and begin a six-game homestand with a Tuesday game against the Jets.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca