The New Jersey Devils beat the Boston Bruins 5-1 on Tuesday but suffered a big loss in the process. Jacob Markstrom left the Devils' victory with a knee injury that scared fans. Last season, they struggled in goal and traded for Markstrom as their big move to compete for a championship. But the team announced Friday that the injury is not as bad as originally feared.

An MCL sprain is a much better result than the worst-case scenario that Devils fans were afraid of after Tuesday. But the team has struggled in January and needs to snap out of their skid. That will be much more difficult without Markstrom, who is the biggest difference between this team and the one that missed the playoffs last year.

This injury is particularly devastating for Markstrom, who will likely miss the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. He is on Team Sweden's roster as one of the three goalies, along with Ottawa's Linus Ullmark and Minnesota's Filip Gustavsson.

Both of those players have been fantastic this year so Sweden should be fine. But Markstrom faces an uphill battle to make the 2026 Olympic team. Markstrom will be 36 by the time the Olympics start and with the strength at the position, he may not make it.

The Devils must hold serve without Jacob Markstrom

New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) is injured during the second period of their game against the Boston Bruins at Prudential Center.
Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
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The Devils are 3-4-3 since January 1 and Markstrom has not been particularly strong in that stretch. He has been in the net for five of those losses and posted a .910 save percentage, bringing his season total down to .912. But backup Jake Allen has been much worse this season, with a .901 save percentage and a 2.66 goals-against average.

The other big move the Devils made this offseason was hiring Sheldon Keefe as their head coach. His tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs was defined by great regular-season results and brutal playoff appearances. They won only one playoff series in five appearances with Keefe behind the bench.

If Markstrom can return by the time the NHL resumes after the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Devils should be just fine. They have a 92.8% chance of making the playoffs, according to Moneypuck, so his health should be the top priority. But with another three weeks like they had in January, that percentage will drop significantly.

The Devils got good news with Jacob Markstrom's injury but must figure out their issues with Jake Allen in net to secure their playoff spot.