


If there’s anyone in this playoff series between the Devils and Rangers who was relishing the moment of Monday night’s Game 7 at the Rock but with mixed emotions, it was Curtis Lazar.
The Devils’ 28-year-old journeyman hasn’t seen his family since he was traded from Vancouver to New Jersey on March 3.
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His wife, Reanne, and 2-year-old son, Owen, were unable to travel East with him because Reanne has been enduring complications with her pregnancy and has been confined to modified bed rest back at the family summer home in Kelowna, British Columbia.
Lazar describes himself as a family man first and a hockey player second, so the time away from his wife and son has been difficult, particularly since he played only four regular-season games with the Devils before this playoff series, in large part because of a knee injury he suffered shortly after coming to New Jersey.
When Lazar was a healthy scratch for the first two games of the playoff series against the Rangers, that wasn’t what you’d call fun for him, either.
Adversity be damned, though, it’s difficult to wipe the smile from Lazar’s face or eradicate his infectious positive outlook.
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“He’s had an unbelievable attitude,’’ Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “He plays with physicality and relentlessness when he’s on the ice. He fits right in with us.’’
Lazar, who’s been in the lineup for the past four games of the series and been integral to a Devils penalty kill that struggled in the first two games, has fit in quite nicely as the Devils entered Monday night having won three of the four games he’s played.
Lazar scored the Devils’ first goal to give them a 1-0 first-period lead in Game 6 Saturday night at the Garden. It was his first point as a Devil in the eight games he’s played with them and his second career playoff goal.
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“My ice time is pretty limited and Lindy’s not too familiar with my game yet, so, whenever I get that tap on the shoulder to go out there, I just try to make the most of it,’’ Lazar told The Post. “The goal was great for the confidence, but a win would have been a lot better.’’
Better than all of that was Lazar’s son getting to see his dad on TV. Lazar did an interview between the first and second periods Saturday on ABC and said Owen “was quite stoked about that.’’
Since the trade, FaceTime has been the only time Lazar gets to be with Reanne and Owen … until the Devils’ season ends.
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“I haven’t seen them since making my way out here,’’ Lazar said. “It’s tough. My little guy, he misses me a lot so he’s asking where his dad is. I talk to him on FaceTime before bed. When he sees me on FaceTime, he’s a little stubborn and gets mad that I’m not there. He says, ‘No, Dad.’
“That’s the side of hockey that people don’t know about. You get a call and your life changes. I’m a family guy first and foremost.’’
The day Lazar was traded, Reanne went into labor at 24 weeks. She and the baby remained healthy, but that has called for the bed rest.
“That’s the thing that eats at me — when I made the trip out here, it crossed my mind that I don’t know when I’m going to see my 2-year-old son again,’’ Lazar said. “If all goes well here, it won’t be for a while. This is my longest time being away from my wife and my child — especially my wife, who’s going through a harder time while supporting me and allowing me to be myself.
“When I got traded, she said, ‘You go out there and do your thing. You’ve earned this opportunity. Go out there and do it. I’ll be OK.’
“I owe my wife everything.’’
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Her due date is June 23, but Lazar said “it’s highly unlikely we’ll get there.’’
That leaves a potentially interesting decision for him to make should the Devils take this thing deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“We don’t know what tomorrow brings,’’ Lazar said. “I could get a phone call at any given point and things could get interesting — possibly playing in a Game 6 or 7 or going home and seeing my next son being born. We’ll cross that bridge if it comes. When I’m here, my full attention is on this dressing room.’’
Because of his experience, wisdom and positivity, Lazar has been an invaluable resource inside the team’s dressing room. The Devils are his sixth team in nine NHL seasons, and Monday night was his 29th career playoff game, making him one of the more experienced players on a young New Jersey roster.
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“I’m just as much of a dad in here to some of these guys as I am at home,’’ Lazar said with a laugh.
Soon enough, Lazar will be back at his real home with his real family — something he longs for. Until then, Lazar remains dedicated to his work family.