The New Jersey Devils, losers of seven of their last nine, just lost their top scorer Taylor Hall for at least their next two games.
The New Jersey Devils will be without Taylor Hall for their next two contests, the team announced Monday afternoon.
ICYMI: @Hallsy09 will miss the next two games (tonight vs. DET, Tues. at BOS) due to a hand injury, according to head coach John Hynes. #DETvsNJD https://t.co/LgZaFneWrr
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 22, 2018
While the injury isn’t considered a long-term issue, according to Amanda Stein of Devils.com, this is the worst news the Devils could get with just three games until the All-Star break. They have a back-to-back Monday night and Tuesday with Detroit and Boston. After that, they’ll host last season’s Western Conference Champions, the Nashville Predators. Whether Hall will be back for Thursday night’s contest remains unknown.
If this injury is more serious than it appears, the Devils can kiss any chance they have at the playoffs goodbye. Hall is far and away the Devils best player and without him, they are in trouble.
He was riding a seven-game point streak that saw him put up 12 points—five goals and seven assists. Hall leads the team in goals (17), assists (31) and points (48), and he was the squad’s lone player selected to represent the franchise at the NHL All-Star Game this coming weekend.
If that wasn’t bad enough, New Jersey will also be without backup goaltender Keith Kinkaid and forward Brian Gibbons, who were both injured in the team’s 3-1 loss to the Flyers, when they take on the Red Wings. Both Kinkaid and Gibbons have been placed on injured reserve. If there’s any good news to be found, it’s that Cory Schneider will make his return to the ice tonight.
Kyle Palmieri will replace Hall on the top line with Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt, while Blake Coleman finds his way back into the lineup, taking Gibbons’ place.