The New Jersey Devils are starting to suffer injuries similar to those of previous seasons. First, Jacob Markstrom was injured Wednesday night in the Devils’ 5-1 victory over the Boston Bruins. Then, Nico Hischier was injured Saturday night in the Devils’ 4-3 overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens.
New Jersey Devils Goalie Jacob Markstrom To Miss Some Time
The New Jersey Devils’ season has been derailed by injuries, especially to the top players and goalies. New Jersey hopes this will not be the case this season. However, the Devils are built differently this season, with the depth that General Manager Tom Fitzgerald added in the summer. The depth has been tested since the offseason.
New Jersey had injuries on defense to Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce, and they were able to survive. But the injuries to Jacob Markstrom and Nico Hischier could be tough timing. Especially the Markstrom one. Initially, the timeline was not good, especially when Sheldon Keefe said Markstrom would miss some time.
The Devils announced that Markstrom would be out with a sprained MCL for four to six weeks after he crashed hard into the post in the second period of Wednesday night’s game against the Bruins. That injury comes at a bad time for the number-one starter for the Devils.
He was in such a groove for the Devils. Even though the Devils struggled coming out of the break, Markstrom was the team’s best player, keeping them in every game. He had been doing that since the start of the Devils. Markstrom’s injury will also keep him out of the Four Nations Faceoff for Team Sweden. He was named to the initial roster, but even if he is back in four weeks, the Devils will not want him to go to play.
J.T. Miller Makes No Sense for the New Jersey Devils
New Jersey has a capable backup in Jake Allen, as Markstrom will miss about seven games before the Four Nations break. In Allen’s second game since the injury, he led the Devils to a victory, but it was not all good news. Captain Nico Hischier left the game in the third period with undisclosed injuries.
Hischier was good to go against the Montreal Canadiens, but could not finish the third period. Head coach Sheldon Keefe said he was day-to-day following the game. Prior to the game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Keefe stated that Hischier was not playing and went back to New Jersey for further evaluations.
Keefe also noted on Saturday night that Jack Hughes was banged up with an injury to his finger. You would not know it from his overtime winner on Saturday night. Hughes did not take the morning skate on Monday but is expected to play. You must wonder if the Devils want him to play in the Four Nations.
When Hughes and Hischier are out of the lineup, the Devils struggle. Throw in Markstrom, and the Devils could see their fantastic season go the other way quickly.
Earlier in the season, Nathan Bastian and Curtis Lazar’s injuries hurt the depth in the bottom six. The Devils can’t have their two top centers out for a while because there is nobody else. This is a tough time for the Devils as they look to survive without Jacob Markstrom and Nico Hischier.
