The New Jersey Devils will be a man down on the blueline on Sunday, as veteran defenseman Anton Volchenkov is out with a lower body injury.
Anton Volchenkov injury: Devils forward ruled out on Sunday
Jon Merrill will replace him in the lineup.
Bruce Bennett
It’s not entirely clear how or when Volchenkov was injured. He failed to come out with his Devils teammates for warmups, and it wasn’t until right before puck drop that the Devils announced his injury.
This does, however, give rookie defenseman Jon Merrill a chance to impress in his first NHL start. Merrill was called up on Sunday from the Albany Devils of the AHL when New Jersey placed defenseman Peter Harrold on injured reserve.
Volchenkov joins a growing list of injured Devils. Forwards Travis Zajac and Patrik Elias did not travel with the team to Minnesota due to injuries, and Ryane Clowe is still on IR with a concussion. Goalie Cory Schneider was activated from IR on Sunday and will start against the Wild.
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