Three teams, three defense-and-depth tests, and three injury updates that could matter fast.
In New Jersey, Jonas Siegenthaler left yesterday’s loss to the Utah Mammoth after taking an undisclosed injury, and the Devils won’t have a full read on it until he’s evaluated in the coming days. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told the media yesterday, including team reporter Amanda Stein, that the Devils “won’t know” the full extent of Siegenthaler’s injury until he can be fully evaluated “in the coming days.”
New Jersey Hockey Now’s Daniel Amoia reported that as Siegenthaler came off the ice, he appeared to be “in a lot of pain,” though he was able to get up under his own power. The injury appeared to happen after a collision in the corner with Mammoth forward Logan Cooley.
If Siegenthaler has to miss time, that’s not a small loss for New Jersey. He may not bring the flash of Luke Hughes or Dougie Hamilton, but he’s been a steady defensive presence since the Devils got him in a 2021 trade with the Washington Capitals.
Last season, he played all 82 games and averaged 19:28 of ice time per night, with nearly two minutes a game on the penalty kill. The Devils also don’t have a healthy No. 7 on the active roster right now, so any absence would almost certainly force a recall from the AHL’s Utica Comets.
The names in play include top prospect Anton Silayev, 25-year-old Vladislav Kolyachonok, Seamus Casey, Ethan Edwards, and Topias Vilen.
Buffalo is also watching a nagging issue, this one with Josh Doan. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said yesterday that Doan is dealing with a lower-body injury, according to Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic.
Doan’s ice time was cut back in the third period of yesterday’s overtime win over the Minnesota Wild, and Ruff linked some of the winger’s early struggles to that lingering problem. Even so, Ruff said he believes Doan can get back on track.
Doan, 24, has been part of the group that helped push Buffalo to its first playoff run in over a decade last season, and he was one of the biggest breakout stories on the roster. The former Arizona Coyotes prospect scored a career-high 25 goals and 52 points in the regular season, then added 10 points in 13 playoff games as the Sabres came within a single goal of the Eastern Conference Final.
Washington, meanwhile, will be without Matt Roy tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said Roy is dealing with a lower-body injury, via Monumental Sports’ Tarik El-Bashir, and that the absence is day-to-day rather than something considered highly disruptive. Even so, Roy’s loss matters because he fills important minutes for Washington, especially on the penalty kill.
Dylan McIlrath will step into Roy’s spot and make his 2026-27 debut tonight against the Penguins.
In Other News...
Devils Have An Early Weakness Keefe Cant Ignore
The Devils early season has already shown a familiar stress point, and it is not hard to spot why Sheldon Keefe is paying close attention. New Jersey has been giving up too many goals in bunches, including recent games against the Islanders and Utah Mammoth, and the issue has quickly moved beyond a one-off bad night. Keefe has pointed to defensive habits and the little details in front of the net, the kind of breakdowns that can make a game feel much harder than it should.
Penalty killing has also been part of the concern, which only adds to the urgency as the schedule keeps moving. The Devils are working to clean up those issues before they harden into something bigger, because early defensive slippage can linger if it is not addressed quickly. For a team trying to establish its identity, the next few games will say plenty about whether this is just a rough patch or a problem that needs more than a few corrections. [Read more 🡒]
ESPN Just Gave Devils Fans Another Reason To Defend Nico Hischier
ESPNs latest ranking of the NHLs top 100 players for the 2026-27 season gave Devils fans another familiar debate to pick at, with Nico Hischier landing 54th after being placed 23rd in the previous version. For a player who has become the face of New Jerseys leadership group and one of the steadier two-way centers in the league, the slide raised eyebrows well beyond Newark, especially given the way the list is framed as a look ahead rather than a simple recap of last season.
The comparison points make the ranking even harder to square. Aleksander Barkov, who missed the entire prior season, was placed ahead of Hischier, while Connor Bedard came in at 43rd despite an expected injury absence early in the year. For Devils fans, it is the kind of list that invites an instant defensive reaction, because Hischiers value has never been tied to flash alone, and the gap between reputation, production and outside perception still seems to be widening. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Loss Exposed A Roster Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The loss to the Utah Mammoth put a familiar Devils issue back in the spotlight: once the top six stop driving play, the offense can run dry in a hurry. Sheldon Keefe pointed to the gap in talent and scoring support beyond Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and the rest of the clubs best forwards, a problem that has lingered whenever the top group is quiet or dealing with injury.
For a while, New Jersey could lean on speed as a separator, but that edge has narrowed as more teams around the league have caught up. With that in mind, management has already started looking for ways to rework the roster, and Sunny Mehtas group now faces a clear test of whether it can add the kind of depth that keeps the Devils dangerous even when the stars are not carrying everything. [Read more 🡒]