NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler returned to the New Jersey Devils' lineup on Friday night for Game 3 of the first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Siegenthaler had been out since Feb. 4, missing 27 games due to a leg injury. He returned just as fellow defensemen Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon missed their second straight game after suffering injuries in the series opener Sunday.
New Jersey then lost defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic in Game 3 when he didn’t return to the ice after the first intermission, leaving the Devils with five blue liners.
Siegenthaler ended up playing 27:09 with five hits and three blocked shots in the Devils' 3-2 victory on 21-year-old defenseman Simon Nemec's goal at 2:36 of the second overtime.
“I'm pretty gased right now,” Siegenthaler said. “I was trying to prepare myself mentally. Took me a couple of shifts. After first period, I kind of found my legs and after that I was just playing hockey."
Devils coach Sheldon Keefe liked what he saw from the 27-year-old defenseman.
“Siegenthaler was incredble,” Keefe said. “To jump into the lineup and play the way he played, I learned a lot about our character. Super thrilled it worked out the way it did.”
The Devils trail the Hurricanes 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
The 6-foot-2, 218-pound Siegenthaler had been expected to miss the remainder of the season, but he began skating several weeks ago and joined the Devils for practice for the first time on Thursday. He also took part in the morning skate on Friday.
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
Vin A. Cherwoo, The Associated Press
