Devils' Hamilton placed on IR with broken jaw

The New Jersey Devils placed defenseman Dougie Hamilton on injured reserve with a broken jaw, the team announced Tuesday.

Hamilton is set to have surgery Wednesday.

The 28-year-old sustained the injury in the first period of Sunday's contest against the Washington Capitals. He exited after getting hit up high by a deflected puck.

Hamilton was taken to hospital for evaluation after the incident, and assistant coach Alain Nasreddine initially said he was doing OK.

The Devils announced earlier Tuesday that the blue-liner was still in New Jersey and would miss Tuesday's contest against the Boston Bruins.

Hamilton, the crown jewel of the franchise's offseason additions, leads all New Jersey defensemen with 20 points in 30 games while averaging over 21 minutes of ice time a night.

He was placed on the IR retroactively to Jan. 2 and will be out until at least Jan. 9. The team will likely have a clearer idea of Hamilton's timetable after his his surgery is complete, according to beat reporter Amanda Stein.

The team also announced Tuesday that goaltender Jonathan Bernier will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing successful hip surgery. The issue has impacted Bernier since training camp, and head coach Lindy Ruff said earlier in January that he was "worried" about the 33-year-old's long-term health.

Bernier put up a .902 save percentage and 3.06 goals against average across 10 appearances this season.

Also out against the Bruins are captain Nico Hischier (lower-body injury), Yegor Sharangovich, and Pavel Zacha (COVID-19 protocol).

There was one piece of good news in New Jersey, as forward Tomas Tatar is set to return to the lineup Tuesday after a three-game absence while in the COVID-19 protocol.