Devils defenceman Vatanen is day-to-day

NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey top defenceman Sami Vatanen is being listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury as the Devils prepare for a must-win Game 5 of their first-round National Hockey League playoff series with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Devils coach John Hynes didn’t give out much information about the injury on Thursday morning before the Devils left for Florida.

Vatanen was hurt late in the first period of the 3-1 win by the Lightning on Wednesday night when he was checked in the shoulder and head area by Tampa Bay forward Nikita Kucherov. The hit knocked Vatanen out of the game.

No penalty was called on the play and Hynes screamed at referees Tim Peel and Wes McCauley before play resumed.

The NHL reviewed the hit on Thursday and no supplemental action was taken against Kucherov, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in an email to The Associated Press.

Tampa Bay leads the series 3-1 and can wrap up the series at home on Saturday.