The Devils starting goaltender and their best player so far this season was injured last week and unfortunately will have to miss four to six weeks with an MCL sprain.
Jake Allen will take the starting goaltender role for the time being while the Devils recalled Isaac Poulter and will recall Nico Daws at some point. Allen has a 2.70 goals against average (GAA) and a save percentage of .903% in the 2024-25 season thus far. He is a fine fit to hold down the goaltender position while Markstrom recovers.
In the American Hockey League (AHL), Poulter currently has a 2.90 GAA and a save percentage of .897%. Daws has a 3.19 GAA and a save percentage of .895%, ultimately not the better stat wise of the two, but Daws does have NHL experience. He has played 46 games in the big league and has a save percentage of .894% and a GAA of 3.13.
Fortunately for the Devils, Markstrom’s injury does not seem as daunting as it sounds. With the timing of it, if all goes right, he will only miss seven to eight games due to the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. From Feb. 9 to Feb 21., the Devils will play no games, allowing Markstrom to recover without missing game time.
With the Devils already struggling, this means their offense will have to start producing more as their average goals-for per game has lacked in recent weeks.
The Devils will rely heavily on players like Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, Dougie Hamilton and Nico Hischier, who is currently day-to-day, to get the offense pumping and find the back of the net. The defense has been steady as of late, they will have to be sharp to give Allen a little help and relieve some of the pressure.
If the Devils can stay afloat during the next few weeks, the playoffs will become more and more likely. What position will we see the Devils in after the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament break? Will Allen be the unsung hero for the Devils?
Be on the lookout for my fellow ONNJ writer, Devora Slonim’s, new article covering Jake Allen and everything you should know while he takes over between the pipes.
The Devils take on the Philadelphia Flyers tonight at 7 p.m. ET at the Prudential Center.
