Dougie Hamilton will have surgery Wednesday on his broken jaw and will be out of the Devils’ lineup indefinitely. Joining him will be captain Nico Hischier, who is dealing with a lower-body injury.
As if the news couldn’t get worse for the Devils, forward Yegor Sharangovich and Pavel Zacha have entered COVID-19 protocol while hip surgery has ended goaltender Jonathan Bernier’s season.
It had been a productive run of late for three of the four skaters out. Hamilton had four points in his last four games; Sharangovich had goals in three straight games; while Hischier had three goals and seven points in his last five games, which includes Sunday’s overtime winner against Washington.
Hamilton’s injury occurred in the first period in that win over the Capitals. A shot from the point deflected off Hischier and caught the defenseman up high.
Here is the puck-to-the-face play that caused #NJDevils Dougie Hamilton to go to the hospital for evaluation: pic.twitter.com/WX3eKKke30
— Dobber (@DobberHockey) January 3, 2022
A better idea of a recovery period will be known after Hamilton’s surgery.
New Jersey has started 2022 in the middle of a three-game win streak, following victories over the Sabres, Oilers, and Capitals. They’ll look for four in a row, with some missing bodies, Tuesday night against the Bruins before beginning a home-and-home with the Blue Jackets.
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.