Devils’ Curtis Lazar out indefinitely after knee procedure

The New Jersey Devils announced on Thursday that center Curtis Lazar has undergone a successful procedure on his left knee and will be out indefinitely.

The Devils also mentioned that they will provide more updates on his timeline to return as they become available to the team.

Lazar suffered the injury early in the second period of Sunday’s 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks after a collision into the boards. He couldn’t put weight on his left leg and needed assistance getting off the ice, immediately going down the tunnel to the dressing room and not returning for the rest of the game.

Lazar was off to a bit of a slow start this season, with just 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points in 12 games on the year. This comes after a career year in 2023-24 for the Salmon Arm, British Colombia product, where he had 7 goals and 18 assists for 25 points in 71 games, all career highs for him.

In the meantime, the Devils have recalled center Justin Dowling to replace Lazar’s spot in the lineup as the fourth line center. Dowling had 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points in 6 games in the AHL with New Jersey’s minor league affiliate, the Utica Comets. Dowling made his season debut for the Devils during Wednesday’s 6-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks, where he had an assist on New Jersey’s sixth and final goal of the game.

The Devils will look to carry on without Lazar and continue to build off of their excellent start to their Western Canada road trip after their win over the Canucks when they visit the Calgary Flames on Friday at 9 p.m. EST. New Jersey currently sits in first place in the Metropolitan Division with a 7-4-2 record.