The New Jersey Devils will be without their leading scorer in Dallas on Tuesday, as Taylor Hall is dealing with a lower-body injury, the team announced.
Hall leads the Devils with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 14 games this season.
Forward Reid Boucher will draw back into the lineup in Hall’s absence.
Boucher has 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) in 77 career games with the Devils.
New Jersey also activated defenceman Jon Merrill off injured reserve this afternoon. The 24-year-old has been out since the preseason with a broken finger.
On the other side of the ice, Jason Spezza will return to the Dallas Stars‘ lineup for the first time since Nov. 5. The veteran has been out with a lower-body injury.
Spezza has five points (one goal, four assists) in nine games this season.
The Stars have been dealing with lots of injuries so far this season, with centreman Cody Eakin and Patrick Sharp also out.
In a corresponding roster move on Tuesday, the Stars reassigned centre Justin Dowling back to the AHL’s Texas Stars.
The 26-year-old had just two assists in five games for the Stars this season.
The Devils (8-3-3) will visit the Stars (6-6-4) at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday night.
