Another day, another injury update. The New Jersey Devils are already one of the most injured teams in the league. Johnny Kovacevic is still recovering from an injury he suffered in the playoffs last season. Stefan Noesen got injured during offseason training. Seamus Casey got injured in the preseason. Evgenii Dadonov got hurt in Game 1. Zack MacEwen got injured in Game 2. In Game 3, there was no way they were getting out of it unscathed.
Jake Allen played incredibly well in his first start of the season. He stopped 23 of 24 shots, helping the Devils survive an onslaught from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first period. The Devils ended up winning the game 3-2, but Allen wasn’t given the win. That’s because he didn’t come out of the locker room in the second intermission.
Officially, the Devils say that Allen was dealing with cramping, but we didn’t hear more about why he was gone. If it’s just a simple cramp and Allen needed to rehydrate, then we shouldn’t worry about his future. He will be good to go for Thursday’s home opener.
Unfortunately for the Devils, Jacob Markstrom also appeared to be dealing with something at the end of the game. After the Blue Jackets scored to bring the game within one with 20 seconds left, Markstrom was slow to get up. He was even slower getting off the ice.
Devils DUB! pic.twitter.com/NB42b8URAo
— Devils on MSG (@DevilsMSGN) October 14, 2025
Markstrom is clearly keeping all the weight off his right leg. That’s not at all what you want to see as a Devils’ fan.
Markstrom struggled to start the season, but he’s always been someone that needs a little time to get settled into the season. Even after a long-term injury, Markstrom usually needs some time to play his best hockey.
The New Jersey Devils call up a new goalie in case Markstrom and/or Allen can't go on Thursday night
Devils fans waited on Tuesday with no news, but they got an update on Wednesday. Nico Daws was called up as MacEwen was placed on injured reserve.
This could be a precautionary move as the Utica Comets don’t play a game until Friday. Daws could back up on Thursday for the home opener and still get back to play against the Rochester Americans if need be.
For now, this is what we know, and it’s how we move forward. Hopefully, the Markstrom injury is very minor. Hopefully, Allen can return to the lineup with no issues. Either way, the injury "bug" has been suffocating the Devils early in the season.