Pucks and Pitchforks
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New Jersey Devils: Mirco Mueller In Our Thoughts

By Vincent Parise

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - FEBRUARY 27: Mirco Mueller #25 of the New Jersey Devils is injured during the third period injury against the Calgary Flames at the Prudential Center on February 27, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. The Flames defeated the devils 2-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - FEBRUARY 27: Mirco Mueller #25 of the New Jersey Devils is injured during the third period injury against the Calgary Flames at the Prudential Center on February 27, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. The Flames defeated the devils 2-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The New Jersey Devils lost a close game to a good team, but they lost a lot more than that in a really scary way for them and their fans.

That alone made it look a little better, because a team like that didn’t blow out a New Jersey Devils squad that is absolutely decimated by injury. It was announced in the morning that Kyle Palmieri and Miles Wood would join the long list of players on the injured reserve. The list is so big that they were forced to use a defensemen as a fourth line forward in this one.

The Flames outshot the Devils 35-20 and only scored two goals. The Devils did a nice job of keeping the flames to the outside and MacKenzie Blackwood played very well in net against a high powered flames team led by star players like Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monaghan and Mark Giordano.

All of this is much less important when you think about Devils defensemen Mirco Mueller. Mueller suffered one of the more scary injuries you will ever see in a hockey game when he drove the net trying to tie the game and he hit his neck into the boards at high speed. He was being backchecked by Flames forward Michael Frolik as he lost his balance and went into the boards neck first.

He appeared to be not moving and unconscious on the ice for a good five minutes. The medical staff were immediately waved onto the ice by both Devils and Flames players to care for Mueller. They worked on him for a while before finally taking him away on a stretcher.

As the crowd chanted his name as he was being strolled away, he was able to give a thumbs up to the worried crowd. That was a good sign for everyone to see as it was a very scary moment.

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It is unlikely that the New Jersey Devils will see Mueller again this season, as an injury like this will likely keep him out of action for a long time and there are only 18 games remaining a season that is not going to end in the playoffs.

Mueller was really coming on as a full time NHL defensemen, so we all hope and pray that he makes a full recovery and gets back to playing the hockey we know he can next season.

The Devils are back in action on Friday night, when they take on the rival Philadelphia Flyers at the Rock. The Flyers will bring their slim hopes of making it into the playoffs to New Jersey so the Devils know they should be playing as desperate as the Flyers will be. The New Jersey Devils will be wearing their Heritage jerseys in this one as well.

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