New Jersey Devils centre Nico Hischier has been labelled day-to-day with an injury. He is currently being evaluated and will miss Saturday’s game against the Washington Capitals.
Nico Hischier will be out today against the Capitals. He's still being evaluated, per Lindy Ruff. Ruff says he's day-to-day for now.
— Chris Ryan (@ChrisRyan_NJ) February 28, 2021
Nico Hischier Injured
The Devils newly named captain left Saturday’s game after taking a puck to the face from a P.K.Subban late in the third period. It was unclear where the puck him directly. According to head coach Lindy Ruff, the puck hit Hischier in the visor. However, the result led to Hischier leaving the game against Washington on Saturday. Prior to his absence, Hischier had recorded a goal and an assist in a 5-2 Devils loss.
This was Hischier’s fourth game back after missing the beginning of the season with a broken fibula while he was training in Switzerland during the offseason. In addition, Hischier was on the Devils COVID-19 protocol list. It took him a little bit to find his groove with the team, but over the past two games, he had three points. During the 2019-20 season, he scored 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points in 58 games. This put him on pace to score about 51 points in a full 82 game NHL season.
What Does This Mean Going Forward
This is a big blow for the Devils as Hischier was centring the team’s hottest line with Jesper Bratt and Pavel Zacha. With Hischier out of the lineup, the Devils moved Zacha back to centre reuniting him with Nikita Gusev and Bratt. That line last season was one of the Devils more productive lines. In addition, the Devils broke up the fourth line of Michael McLeod, Nathan Bastian and Miles Wood. Wood will now be on the third line with Travis Zajac and Yegor Sharangovich and Mikail Maltsev will slot in on the fourth line for Wood.
The Devils are hoping the injury does not keep Hischier out of the lineup for a long period of time. The Devils captain has already missed a ton of games, to begin with. If he misses anymore it will take even more time to catch up to the speed of the game.
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