Devils HC Lindy Ruff out two games after father's death

The New Jersey Devils will be without their head coach until after the upcoming All-Star break. 

On Monday, the Devils confirmed Lindy Ruff will miss the next two games due to the passing of his father, Leeson Ruff, at the age of 88. Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Leeson Ruff was ill and died this past Friday at a hospital in Warburg, Alberta.

New Jersey plays at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night and then hosts Toronto at the Prudential Center Tuesday night. Those are the Devils' last two matchups before the All-Star Game scheduled to take place Saturday, and they return to action next Monday evening at the Ottawa Senators. 

Assistant coach Alain Nasreddine handled head-coaching duties earlier this winter when Ruff was sidelined due to a positive COVID-19 test result and will do so again during Ruff's ongoing absence. Nasreddine guided the Devils to two victories in three games. 

Unfortunately for Nasreddine and company, New Jersey hasn't enjoyed many bright moments during what quickly became a lost campaign. The Devils began the final day of January dead last in the Metropolitan Division standings at 15-23-5, while Toronto is third in the Atlantic Division and 10 points back of the first-place Florida Panthers.