The New Jersey Devils have been dealing with injuries literally from day one of the season. With Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri and Marcus Johansson on the verge of returning, it could be the healthiest we’ve ever seen this team.
New Jersey Devils fans were given great news over the weekend. Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri and Marcus Johansson were all skating, and seemed ready to go for tonight’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. While the Devils may sit out Johansson to give them a chance to make a move, it’s the first time in a long time that they were this healthy.
In fact, it’s the first time all season. The Devils had to play the preseason without Travis Zajac, who tore his pectoral muscle in training, and Brian Boyle, who was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia right before training camp.
If Johansson, Hall and Palmieri can return without another injury happen tonight, then this will be the first time all season the Devils are dealing with just one injury. NHL Injury Viz’s injury heat map shows that the Devils are one of just seven teams to play all season with at least two injuries.
Spread of games played by each team with different numbers of players out injured/ill pic.twitter.com/w3myimA41o
— NHLInjuryViz (@NHLInjuryViz) December 17, 2017
Mirco Mueller is the only player still injured. He’s going to be out at least another month after he suffered a broken clavicle in November. That injury hurts less after the Devils acquired Sami Vatanen.
More from Pucks and Pitchforks
- Should New Jersey Devils Try Load Management With Vitek Vanecek?
- New Jersey Devils Will Prove That Last Year Wasn’t A Fluke
- New Jersey Devils: Luke Hughes’ Playmaking Will Outshine His Mistakes
- New Jersey Devils: Chase Stillman’s Performance Causes Concern
- Can Devils Fans Separate Zach Parise Heartbreak From Achievements?
The Devils certainly aren’t the most injured team in the NHL (that probably goes to tonight’s opponent the Anaheim Ducks), but they seem to only have injuries to major players. None of the Devils third or fourth liners (Boyle’s sickness aside) have been injured on the ice. Instead, it’s Kyle Palmieri who’s missed time on two occasions. Johansson’s also been hurt twice this year. Thankfully, Hall only had one minor injury.
It will be fun to see this Devils team with a full lineup. This offense has been kicking on all cylinders, even when shorthanded. With a full lineup, this offense can be even better.
Five points is the difference between leading the Metropolitan Division and missing the playoffs. That slim margin makes every game count so much more. The Devils have a chance to take over first in the division tonight. With so many players back, they have just as good a chance as ever.