Marek Zidlicky (undisclosed) took part in Saturday's practice. Zidlicky didn't skate on Thursday and missed the third period of Game 5. However, he is still expected to be available for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Coach Pete DeBoer expects to have defensemen Marek Zidlicky and Anton Volchenkov in the lineup for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final. Neither of them skated on Thursday at practice to get some rest and both were hurt in Game 5 versus the Philadelphia Flyers. Zidlicky didn't return for the third period and has been classified as day-to-day, while Volchenkov returned to action before the end of the first period.

New Jersey GM Lou Lamoreillo said that Marek Zidlicky is being listed as day-to-day with an unspecified injury. Lamoreillo wouldn't provide specifics about the ailment that kept Zidlicky out of the third period on Tuesday night against Philadelphia and he wouldn't say if the mobile defender would be ready for the start of the Eastern Conference Finals. Zidlicky was injured during the second period of Game 5, on a hit from Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds, but he managed to play four shifts afterward before sitting out the final frame of the match.

Marek Zidlicky didn't play in the third period of Tuesday's series-clinching win over the Philadelphia Flyers. He played four shifts after being hit by Philadelphia's Wayne Simmonds just past the midway mark of the second period and there wasn't an update on his condition after New Jersey's 3-1 victory. Coach Pete DeBoer said that he didn't receive a report on Zidlicky's status, but more should be known soon. The Devils have advanced into the third round of the NHL playoffs and they'll Zidlicky, who has been a workhorse for them this spring, healthy if they want to extend their postseason run.

Marek Zidlicky notched a goal and an assist in New Jersey's 4-2 win over Philadelphia in Game 4 on their second-round playoff series on Sunday night. However, his other contributions are what make him a trusted defender as far as coach Pete DeBoer is concerned. "He brings us big minutes," DeBoer said. "For me, it's not even the offensive production he brings to the power play. It's how he defends and how tough he is in corners in our end of the ice and he's plays against other team's best players most nights. He's valuable in a lot of different areas." He leads the team in average ice time at 25:31 per contest and has registered six points in 11 playoff matches. If the Devils, who have a 3-1 series lead over Philadelphia, can win more game then they will owe the Minnesota Wild an additional 2013 third-round draft pick as part of the trade that was made back in late February, but it will be well worth the price.

Marek Zidlicky has averaged 25:43 minutes of ice time per game in the playoffs. Zidlicky logged a team-high 35:58 minutes in Thursday's 3-2 2OT victory. Although Zidlicky hasn't been a Juggernaut offensively, he has been a big help to the Devils since they acquired him from Minnesota.

Marek Zidlicky was terrific for the Devils in the first game of the playoffs against the Panthers. He logged 24:07 of ice time, second on the Devils behind Ilya Kovalchuk, and anchored New Jersey's power play logging 8:16. "We've been relying on him a lot since he got here," Devils' coach Peter DeBoer said. "He's playing 23, 24, 25 minutes a night, moves the puck, he's a veteran guy, he's unflappable back there." We are gratified to see that our prediction of a Zidlicky rebound in New Jersey has proven accurate.

Marek Zidlicky appears to be finding his groove in New Jersey now. He has one goal and four assists in his past three games, with three of those points coming on New Jersey power plays. It took him some but his new-found comfort level with the Devils should allow him to finish, what has been a difficult year, on a high note.

Marek Zidlicky registered his first and second assists with the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. Minnesota traded Zidlicky to New Jersey on Feb. 24. He went scoreless in his first six contests with the Devils, but we wouldn't be surprised if he finished the season on a high note.

Marek Zidlicky made his New Jersey debut on Sunday without having a full practice with his new teammates yet. However, he felt good about his performance and so did coach Pete DeBoer. "It was his first night, but again he came as advertised," DeBoer said. "I think that he's going to get better and better, like our team will get better and better." Zidlicky was paired with Anton Volchenkov in the contest and he posted one shot, two penalty minutes and a minus-2 rating in 19:37 of ice time. He also saw a whopping 5:12 of power-play time on the Devils' top unit.