NEWARK -- Why did Devils' coach John Hynes choose to scratch up-and-coming young forwards Reid Boucher and Joe Blandisi for the team's final game Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs rather than veterans Tuomo Ruutu and Tyler Kennedy?
Hynes suggested that it was to let Kennedy and Ruutu know they are appreciated and to show some respect to the longtime NHLers, but it may also be because Boucher and Blandisi are headed for a grueling playoff run in the American Hockey League with Albany.
"We have a long playoff run coming in Albany, so I think it's a mixture of maybe wanting to rest some of the guys and I haven't been playing my best hockey as of late," Blandisi said. "I don't think it's been bad by any means, but I've been struggling to produce. I think if I was producing consistently I would probably be in the lineup. I think with the lack of my production as of late and us having a long playoff run coming up in Albany, it's a smart decision to sit me out tonight."
Smart, perhaps, but not easy to accept. Blandisi grew up in a suburb of Toronto.
"You want to play every game you can, especially against my hometown team," Blandisi said. "I've got family and friends here. I want to play every game. It's tough to not see your name on the board, but hopefully in my future there are many more games to come."
Boucher agreed.
"Obviously you want to play in every game. It's definitely a little disappointing," he said.
Does Hynes have a particular reason for the lineup decisions?
"Not necessarily. Those guys are going to go down and continue to play," the coach said. "We have guys who have been here and (we'll) give them an opportunity to finish the season on a positive note."
Blandisi has not scored a goal in 23 games since Feb. 14. He has five assists in those 23 games.
"At this level it's tough to score goals," Blandisi said. "Some nights the puck doesn't bounce your way. And I think some nights I've been getting away from the dirty areas. Most of my goals, when I was scoring them, were from in front of the net tips and rebounds. Maybe as of late I haven't been going to the right areas and generating enough."
He looks forward to joining Albany.
"A lot. I hear Albany gets pretty exciting at playoff time," Blandisi said. "I love our team there. I live the chemistry and the coaching staff is great. The bond the players and coaching staff created with each other hopefully is going to take us through playoff run."
Rich Chere may be reached at rchere@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Ledger_NJDevils. Find NJ.com on Facebook