The New Jersey Devils continue to deal with Jacob Markstrom‘s injury. Markstrom is getting closer to being ready to return to the Devils lineup. However, in the meantime, Nico Daws has proven he deserves more of the workload from Jake Allen, who has taken over starting duties with Markstrom on the shelf.
Allen has proven to be a worthy backup. Imagine if the Devils addressed that area earlier last year when Dougie Hamilton was lost for the season and they had that LTIR space. But it was a blessing in disguise. New Jersey was able to address the areas of need and did not get false hope with a playoff appearance. Jake Allen has been excellent since coming to New Jersey from the Montreal Canadiens.
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With Markstrom out of the lineup, Allen has been excellent despite the Devils struggles in front of him. Allen had a .930 save percentage over an eight-game stretch when he took over for Markstrom back on January 22nd, 2025 when Markstrom got hurt against the Boston Bruins. In addition, Allen has a 2.27 goals-against average over that eight-game stretch.
However, since the calendar flipped to February, Allen has come back to earth. He is playing well as he did at the beginning of the season, but his GAA is up near 3.00, with his save percentage around .921. If it wasn’t for the shutout against Montreal before the Four Nations Break, his save percentage is sub .900.
For a team that needs to survive without Markstrom, that is not good. Allen has been a great backup, but you can clearly see he can’t handle the starter’s workload anymore. That is where Nico Daws comes in. He has been excellent in his two starts since being recalled from the AHL.
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Again, it is a small sample size as he has only appeared in three games, starting in two of those games. However, over that stretch, he has given up two goals. In relief of Allen on February 2nd, Daws saw seven shots and stopped them all. Then, he stopped 27 of 29 shots faced against the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 4th, getting the win.
Just a few days ago in Nashville, Daws got his first NHL shutout, stopping all 29 shots he faced. Some of those saves were game-changers that led to Devils’ goals. His form has been better, and he gives the team confidence when he is between the pipes. With Allen being an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, this is an audition for Daws to be the backup behind Markstrom next season.
While Jacob Markstrom made the road trip with the Devils, he is not expected to play. Markstrom continues to go through practice and take drills with the players. The Devils have a back-to-back this weekend with Utah and Vegas, so you expect Daws to see another game or two before he goes back down.
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Again, it is not like Jake Allen has played poorly. Allen’s play, along with Nico Daws, has kept the Devils in games. Not to mention, they are battling for second place in the Metro. But sometimes, a goalie gets overworked, and Allen clearly is at this point, even with the break. Not to mention, the players in front of them could play a little more defensively as they rely on their goalie too much to win their games.
Again, it is easy to Monday Morning Quarterback or a goalie head coach, but Daws has seen growth in his game and has earned more starts right now until Markstrom comes back from his injury.
