Defenseman Mirco Mueller did not participate in the Devils' Friday practice in Newark. He sat out for a maintenance day, according to coach John Hynes.

Hynes expects Mueller to play in Sunday's game against the San Jose Sharks.

Mueller played 21:22 of Thursday's 6-0 home win over the Washington Capitals, and defensive partner Sami Vatanen was the only Devil to see more ice time in the game at 24:45.

Mueller finished the game without any apparent complications. He played at least eight shifts in each period, including eight in the third period. His last shift started with 1:06 left in the game, and it ended with 18 seconds left.

The 23-year-old Swiss defenseman won his job in the top pairing in training camp, and he's played two solid games alongside Vatanen.

With Mueller absent from Friday's practice, defenseman Steven Santini jumped into his spot, skating in drills with Vatanen. Santini has been one of two defensive healthy scratches in the first two games of the season, along with Eric Gryba.

All other healthy Devils participated in Friday's practice. Forward Jesper Bratt was not on the ice as he continues to work out while recovering from a broken jaw suffered two days before the start of the season.

Goalie Cory Schneider logged another full practice as he inches closer to getting back into game action after undergoing hip surgery in May. He will not play on Sunday against the Sharks, per Hynes.

Outside of Santini jumping into Mueller's spot in the rotation, the Devils did not make any line changes during Friday's practice. Here's how they lined up:

FORWARDS

Taylor Hall-Nico Hischier-Kyle Palmieri

Marcus Johansson-Pavel Zacha-Stefan Noesen

Miles Wood-Travis Zajac-John Quenneville

Brian Boyle-Blake Coleman-JS Dea

Drew Stafford

DEFENSEMEN

Steven Santini-Sami Vatanen

Andy Greene-Damon Severson

Will Butcher-Ben Lovejoy

Eric Gryba

GOALIES

Keith Kinkaid

Eddie Lack

Cory Schneider

Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook.