Devils’ Tomas Tatar leaves game with lower-body injury

The New Jersey Devils announced that forward Tomas Tatar will not return to Friday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.

Tatar logged one assist, helping Timo Meier notch his eighth goal of the 2024-25 season before leaving the game and not returning.

The 33-year-old has racked up three goals and five assists for eight points in 25 games this season so far.

New Jersey signed Tatar to a one-year, $1.8M contract in the summer following a season split between the Seattle Kraken and Colorado Avalanche.

The Slovakian native played two seasons with the Devils from 2021 to 2023, scoring 35 goals and 43 assists in 158 games. He also scored a goal in 12 playoff games as New Jersey made a run to the second round in 2023.

Tatar signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche last September, but was traded to the Seattle Kraken for a draft pick in December. He would play a total of 70 games, scoring just nine goals and 15 assists, with his 24 points marking the lowest single-season total since becoming a full-time NHLer during the 2013-14 season. The 34-year-old had scored at least 30 points in each of the last 11 seasons.

Over his career, Tatar has made stops with the Detroit Red Wings–the team that took him in the second round of the 2009 NHL Draft, the Vegas Golden Knights and the Montreal Canadiens. In 853 NHL games, he has scored 220 goals and 259 assists, including 13 points in 52 playoff games.

Following Friday’s game against the Red Wings, New Jersey is slated to face off against the Washington Capitals on Saturday and the New York Rangers on Monday.