The New Jersey Devils are racing towards an early-season streak, winning six games in a row and leading the Eastern Conference in points. It’s too early to claim supremacy, but it’s nice to get wins against last year’s playoff teams like the Oilers, Panthers, Wild, Maple Leafs, and Lightning. The Devils have been tested in October, and they’ve responded incredibly well.
The one non-playoff team they’ve played is the Columbus Blue Jackets, but many thought they could be a playoff team this season. The Metropolitan Division is weak, and the Jackets came very close to making it last season. However, they haven’t had a great start to the season.
As of this writing, the Blue Jackets are 3-3-0 on the season. One of their most prevalent losses is that Monday evening tilt with the Devils. The Jackets came out on fire to start the game, taking 16 shots in the first period, but Jake Allen stoned them (until he was forced to leave before the third period).
There was a lot happening in this game, which ended with a 3-2 Devils victory, but the most prevalent part for the Blue Jackets was the injury to Miles Wood. He took a stick to the face from Dougie Hamilton, and it drew blood. That became a double minor, which was killed by the Devils.
However, based on what Wood said on Thursday, the injury was scarier than it initially looked. The area of the cut caused bleeding into his eye, causing him to lose sight for a few moments.
#CBJ Wood had so much blood in his eye that he couldn’t see. He took 8 stitches - four beside the eye, four on the bridge of his nose. Had to sleep sitting for a week.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) October 23, 2025
Skated today, but needs to get his fitness back up. Still has a shadow when he looks down to the left.
2/2
That sounds incredibly rough for Wood, who played with the Devils from 2015-2023. He was teammates with most of the long-term players on the Devils, including Hamilton, who hit him with the high stick. He told the media that Hamilton and other members of the Devils reached out to check on him.
Wood was always considered a tough guy on the Devils. He was a speedster who would run through a wall for his team (and sometimes almost successfully did it). Seeing him talk about the worries of losing an eye is scary because that would likely end his career and severely impact his quality of life.
Wood was a fan favorite in New Jersey, and many around here still appreciate what he gave to the roster. He was inconsistent, but one could never question his effort. He always gave this team 100%.
It's good to hear Wood is recovering and that he avoided the worst.