Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom to miss four to six weeks

Jacob Markstrom‘s status for the 4 Nations Face-Off is officially in doubt.

The New Jersey Devils‘ star goaltender will be out four to six weeks after imaging showed he has a sprained MCL, the team announced Friday.

Markstrom will miss all of the Devils’ games leading into the 4 Nations break, and with the event starting on Feb. 12, the timeline given by the Devils would indicate Sweden will be without Markstrom for the tournament.

The 34-year-old goaltender was injured in Wednesday’s game against the Boston Bruins after Bruins forward Justin Brazeau crashed into him in the Devils crease.

Markstrom stayed down on the ice following the play and needed to be helped off by the Devils’ training staff and teammate Stefan Noesen. He skated with his left leg up as he exited.

Brazeau was going hard to the net while trying to redirect a pass from John Beecher but lost an edge, sliding into Markstrom’s lower body. He was assessed a two-minute penalty for goalie interference.

In his first year with the Devils, Markstrom has a 21-9-5 record with three shutouts, a 2.20 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.

The Devils sit third in the Metropolitan Division with a 27-17-6 record.