Devils captain Nico Hischier’s harm standing has been downgraded to week-to-week, head coach Sheldon Keefe informed reporters Wednesday (together with Gabriel Trevino of NJ.com). He has not performed since struggling an upper-body harm on a crosscheck from Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki final Saturday.
Keefe initially called Hischier day-to-day following the harm, which held him out of Monday’s loss to the Flyers. Nonetheless, he left the crew’s street journey to return to New Jersey to go to with crew docs for additional analysis. It wasn’t optimistic information for the Swiss centerman, who will now miss one other three video games at minimal.
Previous the midway level of the season, Hischier leads the crew in targets with 24 and has added 19 assists for 43 factors in 51 video games. He’s placing up career-highs in taking pictures proportion (17 p.c) and common ice time (20:21), in addition to profitable 55.5 p.c of his attracts and logging a career-high 55.5 CF% at even power. It’s been a dominant two-way marketing campaign from the 2023 Selke Trophy finalist, one that would put him again in that dialog, assuming his absence doesn’t stretch out for an excessive amount of longer.
It’s a tough blow for the Devils, who’re 4-5-3 since New 12 months’s and are already with out beginning goaltender Jacob Markstrom till across the commerce deadline as a result of a sprained MCL. They’ve referred to as to 28-18-6, decidedly third within the Metropolitan Division behind the Capitals and Hurricanes, and are actually being chased by the red-hot Blue Jackets, who’re seven factors again with two video games in hand.
23-year-old Dawson Mercer shifts to heart in Hischier’s absence with Erik Haula additionally on the shelf. The 2020 first-rounder has 23 factors in 52 video games, up solely barely from final yr’s offensive tempo.
