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Volchenkov, Zidlicky return to Devils’ practice

Tampa Bay Lightning v New Jersey Devils

NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 26: Marek Zidlicky #2 of the New Jersey Devils skates in warmups prior to his first game for the Devils against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Prudential Center on February 26, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Bruce Bennett

New Jersey Devils fans can breathe a sigh of relief after Anton Volchenkov and Marek Zidlicky showed up for Saturday’s practice. Both players were victims of huge hits in Game 5 on Tuesday of the Devils’ second round series against the Philadelphia Flyers. New Jersey won that game and has been waiting to find out who their opponent for the Eastern Conference Finals will be.

Devils coach Peter DeBoer previously said that he expects them to play in Game 1 of the next round, but neither player participated in Thursday’s practice. New Jersey didn’t have a practice scheduled for Friday.

Losing Zidlicky in particular would have been problematic for the Devils as he’s the team’s postseason leader in playing time per game and has been a significant part of their success with the man advantage. Volchenkov is more of a defensive defenseman and has been limited to 15:21 minutes per contest in the playoffs.