New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier sustained an injury in Friday night's game against the Buffalo Sabres. Hischier was on the receiving end of an illegal check to the head by defenseman Connor Clifton in the first period. Clifton received a match penalty, and the hit was then reviewed by the Department of Player Safety. He subsequently received a two-game suspension.
Hischier returned to the game in the second period, only to exit again after receiving another check. He was absent from the Devils' practice on Saturday and will miss Sunday night's game against the Minnesota Wild. It is unclear how much time Hischier will miss. The center had a slow start offensively in the first few games of the season but had just started to pick things up, scoring a goal in each of the Devils' games prior to the game against Buffalo.
It's been an interesting start to the Devils' season as they adjust to higher expectations this year. They're currently 4-2-1. The Devils hope they won't be missing their captain for long. As a two-way forward, Hischier's presence will be missed on both sides of the ice. They're hard skates to fill, but other Devils will need to step up in Hischier's absence.
Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Tyler Toffoli are among the players already doing their share and more. There are some Devils who haven't quite gotten off to the best start to the 2023-24 NHL season. Now is the time for them to come alive. Here are three Devils who need to step up while Hischier is injured.
3. Ondrej Palat
When he saw his captain get hit in the head on Friday night, Ondrej Palat jumped into action to defend him. The Devils need to see more of that fire from Palat. The veteran struggled in his first season with the Devils in 2022-23, following a groin injury that sidelined him for a significant portion of the season. This season, Palat looks to bounce back.
The winger has just two points so far in 2023-24, both coming from assists. It's time for Palat to get going offensively. Like Hischier, Palat is known as a two-way player, so his contributions in the defensive zone are important, too. He's currently at a -3 +/-, meaning he's been on the ice for more goals against than for. Palat can contribute on both sides of the ice, but so far, he hasn't been as noticeable as he can be.
Palat has been buzzing lately, but he doesn't have any goals to show for it yet. It feels like he's getting close to a breakthrough. With Hischier out, the Devils need Palat to get the job done.
2. John Marino
It isn't just forwards who need to step up in Hischier's absence, but defensemen, too. John Marino provided reliable shutdown defense for the Devils in 2022-23. He missed some time due to injury and perhaps struggled to get going again for a bit after that, but Marino's defense in the Stanley Cup playoffs was critical. This season, he hasn't looked as sharp.
Since he was so good last season, it's been rather noticeable that Marino hasn't quite found his rhythm yet in 2023-24.
Marino and Ryan Graves were such a strong pair last year, and the Devils are sorely missing Graves this year with some of their early defensive struggles. Marino and Kevin Bahl looked good together in the preseason, but they've been a mixed bag since the regular season started. Lindy Ruff seems committed to keeping them together for now, so the pair has worked on figuring things out.
Despite grinding out a win in a tight match-up against the Sabres, the Devils have shown a lot of sloppiness in their first seven games. The key for them is to clean up that sloppiness and limit the mistakes. Marino can be a huge part of that. He did look much better in Friday night's game. Without Hischier, it's more important than ever that the defense shows up, and Marino is capable of being that shutdown player Devils fans saw last year.
1. Dawson Mercer
Considering Dawson Mercer had such a strong sophomore season which made him subject to higher expectations, he's been rather disappointing so far this season. Mercer scored 27 goals in 2022-23, and his season included several other accomplishments such as his first career hat trick and an eight-game goal streak. Through seven games this season, Mercer has zero points. He has just five shots on goal, compared to 21 shots on goal in the same number of games last October.
Ruff shifted Mercer to playing center on Friday night. While the Devils were hopeful that this would get Mercer going, it didn't seem to, at least not offensively. Devils fans were ready to cheer for him scoring his first goal of the season on an empty net on his birthday — right up until he missed the net. That's the kind of deflating season it's been for him so far.
It's a contract year for Mercer, and the longer it takes for him to start making an impact, the more one has to wonder what his extension will look like if he fails to live up to last year's success. If ever there's a good time for Mercer to find his footing and get rolling, it's now in the absence of Hischier.
While their captain deals with recovering from a bad hit, these three Devils can help the team push forward.