New Jersey Devils’ Nico Hischier will not play Sunday vs. Minnesota Wild

New Jersey Devils’ head coach Lindy Ruff says forward Nico Hischier is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Minnesota Wild with an upper-body injury, according to NHL.com’s Amanda Stein.

Hischier was injured near the end of the first period in the Devils’ Friday night matchup vs. the Buffalo Sabres. Hischier tipped a pass into the Sabres’ zone, then Buffalo defenseman Connor Clifton made direct contact with Hischier’s head on a bodycheck with his shoulder.

Clifton received a match penalty for the hit and was ejected from the game. Hischier played a few more shifts in the second period, but did not play in the third.

Clifton would end up being suspended for two games on Saturday by NHL Player Safety. Clifton will forfeit $34,722.22 of his salary for missing the two games.

Ruff said after the game that the hit was the type of thing the league wants to get rid of.

“The hit was a shot to the head. That’s something they’e trying to eliminate,” Ruff said to reporters. “It’s something they have to take a look at. It was a dangerous play in a game.”

Hischier has two goals in seven games so far in 2023-24. He hit career highs across the board last season, scoring 31 goals and 49 assists for 80 points. The 2017 No. 1 overall pick has 111 goals and 177 assits for 288 points in 388 games through seven seasons with the Devils.

Clifton was taken in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Arizona Coyotes. He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Boston Bruins, scoring 10 goals and 33 assists for 43 points in 232 games in Beantown. Last summer, the Sabres signed Clifton to a three-year, $9.9 million contract.