There is no other way of putting it; these last ten games for the Devils will be painful to watch. But then again, we’re Devils fans; this last decade has been painful to watch.
Injury Recap
The Devils have experienced their fair share this year, but this last week or so has been brutal. In a season that’s been tough to watch, there have been tons of bright spots on the team, but with recent injuries, a lot of those have been shut off. The Devils have lost Jack Hughes, Nate Bastian, Jimmy Vesey, Miles Wood, and Jonas Siegenthaler, all to injury.
For Hughes, Vesey, Wood, and Siegenthaler, they’re all confirmed to be shut down for the rest of the year.
During last Sunday’s game against the Islanders, Hughes suffered an MCL sprain thanks to a knee-to-knee hit delivered by Islanders winger Oliver Wahlstrom. The Devils then announced that they would shut Hughes down for the rest of the year.
In that same game, Nate Bastian caught a crosscheck to the fingers from Islanders winger Ross Johnston. He would leave the game, make a short return, and exit thereafter. But of all the injured guys, he’s the only one who’s listed as day-to-day and has a chance at returning this season.
Jimmy Vesey tried delivering a hit in Tuesday’s snoozefest against the Rangers, but it went awkwardly and injured his leg. When he got up, he couldn’t put any weight on it. The Devils have yet to share what the injury is. Some alluded to possible ligament damage, but nothing was confirmed.
As for Miles Wood, what has gone on with his injury this season is the epitome of Devils hockey, dysfunctional. What started as a day-to-day hip injury after a preseason game turned into season-ending hip surgery. It was then announced that Wood could come back this season, and he played just three games before being shut down again. Did the Devils pull a Mackenzie Blackwood 2.0 and shove Wood back into action without him being 100%, or are they just shutting him down out of caution? Nevertheless, it made no sense to play him this season, especially to play in three meaningless hockey games at the end of March.
To top it all off, the Devils lost shutdown defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler to a broken hand. For a team that struggles enough to prevent goals, losing Siegenthaler will make life even more difficult.
A Look ahead to next week
On Saturday against the Stars, the Devils somehow won their first road game since February 24. Nico Hischier continued his long stretch of brilliance by carrying them to a win. Now, the Devils will have to find ways to win four more road games with a depleted roster. They take on the Coyotes on Tuesday, then a date against Colorado on Thursday, and their first ever game in Seattle on Saturday. The Devils have finished the season well their last two years, let’s see if they can make it three.
Photo: Rich Graessle/Getty Images
