No. 1 goalie for Rangers rival out 4-6 weeks in massive injury news
As the surging New York Rangers move up the Eastern Conference standings, they may begin to set their sites higher than simply landing a wild-card spot. That’s especially so after the New Jersey Devils lost their No. 1 goalie Jacob Markstrom to injury Wednesday night.
The Devils announced Friday that Markstrom has an MCL sprain and is out 4-6 weeks in a damaging blow to the third-place team in the Metropolitan Division.
Markstrom, who’s been the backbone behind New Jersey’s rise in the Metropolitan Division this season, was injured in a goal-mouth collision with Boston Bruins forward Justin Brazeau at 3:09 of the second period in the Devils’ 5-1 win at Prudential Center. Markstrom was removed from the game after remaining down on the ice in obvious pain.
“We’ll take some time before we know the full extent on [Markstrom],” Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said postgame. “I talked to him; he is in good spirits. He’s feeling a lot better than before, so that’s positive. He’s going to miss some time.”
On a team that features stars like Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Dougie Hamilton and Nico Hischier, there’s likely no player more indispensable than Markstrom on the Devils roster. The 34-year-old arrived in an offseason trade with the Calgary Flames and has stabilized the goaltending position in New Jersey.
Markstrom is 21-9-5 with a 2.20 goals-against average, .912 save percentage and three shutouts this season. He’s fourth in the League in wins, tied for fourth in shutouts and has the fifth-best GAA. Last season, Devils goalies combined to allow the fifth-most goals in the NHL (281; 3.43 per game).
After stunningly failing to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, due in large part to atrocious defensive play and poor goaltending, the Devils (27-17-6) are third in the Metro with 60 points. They are three points behind the second-place Carolina Hurricanes and 11 in arrears of the red-hot, first-place Washington Capitals.
The Devils have a seven-point lead over the fourth-place Columbus Blue Jackets, who own the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference at the moment.
Fueled by a 10-game point streak (7-0-3), the Rangers are just one point out of the second wild card. But they could have the Devils in their sites now as well. The Rangers trail the Devils by eight points, but have two games in hand. And now Markstrom’s injury really change the landscape for New Jersey.
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Jake Allen is a capable veteran backup goalie for the Devils. However, before being credited with the win against the Bruins, stopping all 16 shots he faced, the 34-year-old had lost six consecutive decisions, allowing 20 goals.
Allen, who was the No. 2 behind Jordan Binnington when the St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019, does have a solid 2.66 GAA and decent .904 save percentage in 15 appearances this season. He’s a quality No. 2 but could be exposed if Markstrom is out for a long period of time.
Nico Daws, who has 46 games of NHL experience but has struggled with Utica in the American Hockey League this season, likely will be recalled to pair with Allen.
There’s no way around it for the Devils. This is a massive blow and comes at a terrible time. The Devils ended a four-game skid (0-2-2) against the Bruins but are 2-6-3 since Dec. 28, struggling at a time when the Rangers turned their season around.
The Rangers dropped to the bottom of the East standings during a 4-15-0 freefall to close out 2024. But since the calendar flipped to 2025, the Rangers are 8-1-3. That included an exciting 3-2 overtime win against the Devils on Jan. 9, after losing their first two meetings by a combined 10-1 score.
The Devils close out January with a road game in Montreal against the Canadiens and a home-and-home set against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Rangers defeated the Flyers 6-1 on Thursday and follow with home games against the Colorado Avalanche and Hurricanes finish their January schedule.
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