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...
Ovechkins First Capitals Game Already Showed What His Legacy Would Be
Alex Ovechkin arrived in the NHL in October 2005 and did not waste any time hinting at what kind of player he would become. In his first game with the Capitals, he scored twice and played with the kind of force that immediately fit the leagues image of him as a rare blend of finishing skill and physical presence.
More than two decades later, that same opening-night impression looks like the start of a career that rewrote Washingtons history and much of the NHL record book. Ovechkin has already left the Capitals with their first Stanley Cup title in 2018 and the leagues all-time goals mark, but with this season now set to be his last, the ending is finally coming into view. [Read more 🡒]
Capitals Enter Home Opener With A Blue Line Problem Vs Penguins
The Capitals head into their home opener against the Penguins with an early test on the back end, as Matt Roy will not be available because of a lower-body injury. It leaves Washington with a blue line shuffle before the first puck drops in front of its own crowd, and it is the kind of opening-night wrinkle that can quickly reshape the look of a pairings sheet. Coach Spencer Carbery and Vincent Desharnais both addressed the change, underscoring how much Roys presence matters even this early in the season.
Dylan McIlrath is the next man up, and the assignment carries a little extra significance because it will be his first NHL home opener. Washington will also be looking at how the rest of the defensive rotation settles in around him, with Cole Hutson part of the mix on the third pair. The matchup with Pittsburgh already has the usual edge, and for the Capitals the bigger question is how well the group absorbs an absence that arrived before the seasons first home game could even get going. [Read more 🡒]