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Devils to enter Saturday’s game without Elias, Henrique, Josefson

Washington Capitals v New Jersey Devils

at the Prudential Center on April 4, 2014 in Newark, New Jersey.

Bruce Bennett

The New Jersey Devils managed to dig deep and gut out a 2-1 win against the Washington Capitals on Friday, even with injuries piling up. They won’t get much time to take a breather, either, as they turn around to a Saturday game against the Carolina Hurricanes with those bumps and bruises forcing lineup changes.

The Newark Star-Ledger reports that the Devils will be without the services of Patrik Elias, Adam Henrique and Jacob Josefson tonight because of injuries suffered during last night’s game against the Capitals.

The Devils will skate with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, as Steve Bernier, Stephen Gionta and Tim Sestito slide into their places.

Head coach Peter DeBoer tried to put a positive spin on the situation while noting that the Devils decided a minor league call-up wouldn’t be worth it.

“Same thing we dealt with last night,” DeBoer said. “The nice thing is we have some fresh legs going into the lineup with Bernier and Gionta and Sestito. In a back-to-back situation that’s not a bad thing. Obviously we’re missing some key people but I like the idea we’re getting some fresh legs in.”

Elias, 37, suffered an upper-body injury thanks to this unfortunate break:

Josefson seemed to suffer a leg injury while Henrique’s issue is undisclosed.

The Devils must soldier on anyway, and the Hurricanes - while uneven - present some upset threat. They thwarted the playoff-desperate Dallas Stars 4-1 on Thursday, for one.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins