Devils Recall Rookie Goaltender; What it Means

The news on New Jersey Devils goaltender, Jake Allen, wasn’t all that positive on Tuesday morning. As a result, the Devils recalled a rookie goaltender from the Utica Comets.

On Monday morning, Allen missed practice. Head coach Sheldon Keefe explained he was being evaluated for an injury. As a result, he would potentially be unavailable to back up goaltender Jacob Markstrom against the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday evening.

MORE: Uh-Oh, New Jersey Devils Goaltending Suddenly Thin?

Well, Allen appears to be unavailable. Keefe explained he shouldn’t be out long-term, but just needs to “get him a little more treatment and see how it goes from there.”

In turn, the Devils recalled rookie goaltender Isaac Poulter from the American Hockey League. He will back up Markstrom against Toronto.

Poulter’s recall reinforces yesterday’s suspicion. The Devils’ goaltending is suddenly very thin.

Down in the AHL, Comets goaltender, Nico Daws, suffered an injury last week. Daws’ injury—although minor—was described as a “freak accident.”

Despite Daws’ status as just day-to-day, he’s clearly not healthy enough to back up Markstrom against the Maple Leafs. Had he been healthy, Daws is the most NHL-ready goaltender in the minor league pipeline with 46 NHL games under his belt and seemingly the goaltender of the future—perhaps as soon as next season.

Instead, the unlikely Poulter will appear in his second-ever NHL game, although just as a backup.

Poulter dressed in his first NHL game last season against the New York Rangers on home ice. However, he did not make his debut, backing up Daws who was New Jersey’s starting goaltender for half of last season.

The Devils signed Poulter to a two-year, two-way contract last winter. The undrafted, 23-yer-old goaltender has made a regular habit of overcoming the odds, and is a potential option down the line for the Devils in net, although not quite yet.

Instead, the Devils are forced through multiple injuries to dress Poulter who has played nine AHL games this year, accruing a 2-4-3 record with a .871 SV% and 3.32 GAA.

Certainly, the Devils have their fingers crossed that Markstrom stays healthy so he can carry the burden of buoying New Jersey, who are navigating a busy week with three more games on the schedule.

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