New Jersey Devils forward Arseny Gritsyuk will miss at least the next two games due to an upper-body injury sustained in Thursday's loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The rookie has recorded 16 points in 31 games this season. The team faces additional challenges with multiple players sidelined ahead of weekend home games against the Anaheim Ducks and Vancouver Canucks.
The New Jersey Devils announced on Friday, December 12, 2025, that forward Arseny Gritsyuk is sidelined with an upper-body injury and will miss the team's back-to-back weekend games. Gritsyuk did not participate in Friday's practice at the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House inside Prudential Center. Head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed the forward needs time to recover, noting, "(Gritsyuk is) going to need some time. He was dealing with it in the game yesterday and it hasn't gotten better."
Gritsyuk, in his first NHL season, has appeared in 31 games, tallying 16 points with seven goals and nine assists. He has primarily played in the top six following Jack Hughes' injury. Addressing fans on Telegram, Gritsyuk said, “Although I haven’t been fully examined yet, I’m certain I’ll miss the next two games. I am confident that everything will be fine with my health and our results. As they say, we’ll come back stronger.”
The injury adds to the Devils' woes, with the team now missing seven players. Hughes is out with a finger injury, Timo Meier is on personal leave for a family matter—missing his second game—and Evgenii Dadonov was placed on injured reserve with a wrist issue. To bolster the roster, the Devils recalled Xavier Parent from the Utica Comets in the AHL. Parent made his NHL debut Thursday, playing 9:42 minutes on the fourth line during the Devils' 8-4 home loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
That defeat marked the Devils' fifth straight home loss and sixth in their last seven games overall. Tampa Bay jumped to a 5-1 lead early in the second period, with goals from Nick Paul, Darren Raddysh, Pontus Holmberg, Jake Guentzel, Oliver Bjorkstrand (two), Brandon Hagel, and Brayden Point. New Jersey's scorers included Luke Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Angus Crookshank, and Paul Cotter. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom was pulled after allowing three goals on seven shots in the first period.
Post-game, the locker room held an honest discussion on accountability. Defenseman Brenden Dillon emphasized team reliance, saying, “We want to hold each other accountable when something happens on the ice... that’s not what we do here, that’s not our standard.” Captain Nico Hischier arrived early for practice, setting a tone for regrouping. The Devils host the Ducks at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday and the Canucks on Sunday.