The New Jersey Devils ended their four-game losing streak on Wednesday night in dominant fashion against the Boston Bruins. Head coach Sheldon Keefe tried a few new strategies on offense, and it worked. They scored five goals for the first time since the Christmas break, and they put their skate down on the fumbling Bruins.
While the win is huge and put the Devils in a good place, they now have to worry about their starting goaltender. Jacob Markstrom went down with a leg injury after Justin Brazeau went into him at full speed. Markstrom’s leg got caught between a sliding Brazeau and the post, causing what looked like a scary twist.
As of this writing, we don’t know the severity of the injury, but the Devils should be prepare for the worst, even if they are hoping for the best. Tom Fitzgerald needs to know his options, as they are few as of now. Unless the Devils want to get bold, a small move while Jake Allen takes the brunt of the starts might make sense.
1. Nico Daws
The simplest move is to call up Nico Daws from the Utica Comets. Daws returned to the lineup a few days ago after another injury, but he was able to shake some of the rust of and play well enough to win one of his last two games. Now that he’s warmed up, he might be ready to be an NHL backup.
Unlike previous seasons, the Devils won’t need Daws to be a starter coming up. Allen should take the majority of the starts even though he has a clause in his trade with the Montreal Canadiens that would send them a second-round pick if he plays 40 games. The Devils have 32 games left this season, and Allen just played his 15th game. Even with the injury, the Devils could afford to play Daws eight or nine games down the stretch, especially if he has plenty of rest in between starts.