After attempting the morning skate, Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk ruled himself out of tonight’s game against the Hurricanes at Prudential Center but said he was closer to returning.

Kovalchuk, who has a lower body injury, told NJ.com, “I tried. Actually, I feel pretty good but with that kind of injury you want to be 100 percent sure.

“I feel much better so another couple of days. It’s good we have a couple of days before Friday and Saturday’s back-to-back games. I’ll try to be ready for those.”

Kovalchuk was injured late in Thursday’s game against the Flyers and did not play Saturday against the Jets.

“He’s status quo,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “He won’t play. Obviously he’s getting better with the fact that he was out there. He’s made huge strides the last three or four days.”

Defenseman Andy Greene (leg) is expected to play, the website says.