New Jersey Devils lose their top goaltender after a collision in the net. The Devils took on the Boston Bruins on Wednesday, January 22, when New Jersey walked away with a 5-1 win. The team is sitting in a comfortable spot for playoffs; however, the Devils are not the only team on pins and needles awaiting injury results.
Jacob Markstrom let one goal in during the first period before he left the ice with an injury. Bruins player Justin Brazeau had crashed into the net, sending Markstrom awkwardly into the goal post. It looked as if his ankle had twisted during the collision. He laid on the ice momentarily in apparent discomfort before being helped down the tunnel.
The Devils head coach, Sheldon Keefe, did not have answers during the post-game interview. He disclosed that Markstrom will miss some time due to a lower-body injury. The team is awaiting the results of the severity of his injury before releasing further information. Keefe also mentioned that Markstrom was in high spirits and feeling better.
Markstrom has been an outstanding wall in the net for the Devils, with a 21-9-5 record this season. He has a .912 save percentage this season and a 2.20 goals-against average in 36 games.
His early departure did not bring the team down. They continued to battle it out with the Bruins, keeping pucks from the net and scoring four goals throughout the second and third periods.
Markstrom is going on his 15th season in the NHL. He was drafted in 2008 by the Florida Panthers and spent four seasons with their organization. He was traded in 2013 to the Vancouver Canucks, spending seven seasons there before finding himself in Calgary. At the end of last season, he was traded to the New Jersey Devils, where he has become an asset. He has played in 521 games throughout his career in the NHL, with 236 wins and 205 losses. His overall save percentage is .909, with a 2.69 goals-against average.
With Markstrom out at this time, it questions when he will return. Not only are the Devils needing him to return soon, but so does Team Sweden for the Four Nations Face-off. Sweden is also short Linus Ullmark, raising questions about their team roster. With only three goaltenders selected, the team must have backups if they do not recover in time.
Jake Allen replaced Markstrom for the remainder of the game. Allen has played 15 games this season with a 6-8-1 record and 14 shutouts. His goals-against average is 2.66, and he has a .904 save percentage. He was traded from the Montreal Canadiens at the end of last season after spending 3.5 seasons with the team.
Allen stepped up in Markstrom’s absence, not letting a single goal hit the net for the remainder of the game. He is one of the best goaltenders in the league, and having him as backup went in the Devil’s favor. He had 16 saves on 16 shots on goal to help the team defeat the Bruins. This would be Allen’s first win since November 23rd against the Washington Capitals.
The Devils will face the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, January 25th. Allen will start, but who will be the backup goaltender is still unknown. There is speculation that they will call up Nico Daws from the Utica Comets. However, he recently returned after battling an injury.
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