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Devils put Elias (bad nap) on IR

patrikeliasgetty

Two Saturdays ago, Patrik Elias awoke from his pregame nap with back spasms.

Twelve days later, his situation is yet to improve.

The Devils put Elias on injured reserve Thursday, and Tom Gulitti of NorthJersey.com reports the veteran Czech will miss “at least” tonight’s game vs. Philly and tomorrow’s game at Toronto with the ailment.

Elias, 37, first tweaked his back prior to a 4-3 win over Boston on Oct. 26. He gutted through the spasms to play once more -- a 2-1 win over Tampa on the 29th -- but then sat out New Jersey’s last two games, a 1-0 loss to Philly and a 4-0 loss to Minnesota.

(So yeah, the Devils haven’t scored a single goal since Elias left the lineup.)

The back spasms are just the latest in what’s been a tough season for Elias’ health. He missed time earlier this season to a rough bout of food poisoning and, on the year, has only appeared in 10 of New Jersey’s 14 games.

That said, he has been a solid contributor when healthy. Despite the missed time, Elias still sits tied for third in team scoring, with seven points, and was averaging close to 19 minutes per game prior to the back spasms.