The New Jersey Devils lost to the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 on Monday night. It was a tale of two halves, as the Devils were lifeless and frustrating in the first 30 minutes of the game, where the team gave up three unanswered goals to put themselves in a terrible hole. Something wasn't clicking on offense or defense. The power play looked dreadful. Jake Allen tried his best to make stupendous saves to keep the Devils in it, but they failed to score three goals again, and it cost them important points in the standings.
There was a lot going on in this game that stood out. There were injuries (Nathan Bastian took a nasty hit and never returned), there was some rough performances (Brett Pesce was on the ice for all the goals against), and there was an incredible effort to end the game to try and win (Jack Hughes played an insane shift of north of four minutes).
While the effort at the end was there, the Devils were missing just a little extra the entire game. The power play needed something extra. The offense needed something extra. They needed something extra in the defensive zone, and they clearly missed their captain.
Nico Hischier got injured on Saturday night when he took an illegal check to the ribs against the Montreal Canadiens. The play wasn't called a penalty, but Hischier was clearly in pain. He tried to return to the game, and he played a shift in the third period, but he eventually left for good. Sheldon Keefe did give a positive update after the game, calling Hischier day-to-day, but then Hischier went to New Jersey for extended testing.
The Devils are already dealing with a Jacob Markstrom injury, and the bad news is piling up. So are the losses. The Devils can't afford to be without Hischier for very long. He's too important to the lineup.
Devils clearly missed Nico Hischier in loss versus Flyers
We're not saying anything that isn't obvious. Hischier is important to the Devils lineup, and water is important for human survival. The question is "how long can the Devils survive without him?". With the loss on Monday, the Devils are once again under .600 for points percentage. They've been awful since the Christmas break.
The Devils have a seven-point lead on the Columbus Blue Jackets, the next team in the Metropolitan Division who could take the Devils' third spot. However, the Devils have played two more games. They have a 10-point lead on the Rangers, but New York has three games at hand. Once these teams start closing the scheduling gap, this race could be much closer than anyone is comfortable with.
If Hischier is out even for two or three more games, it could make that uncomfortable position come sooner rather than later. The Devils need to beat teams like the Flyers with consistency, but doing anything with consistency is hard without the team's most consistent player Nico Hischier.