Anthony Mantha suffered a scary injury during Saturday’s game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Islanders.
Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech high-sticked Mantha in the throat with 7:25 remaining in the third period.
Anthony Mantha high-sticked in the throat by Adam Pelech
Mantha took only one more shift before leaving the game. Now, Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe has revealed that Mantha has headed back to New Jersey for further evaluation and will be out of the club’s lineup for an undisclosed amount of time.
“There’s some damage done there that they gotta get looked at and assess,” Keefe told the Devils’ Sam Kasan. “He is gonna miss some time. We just don’t know the extent of it at this point.”
Pelech was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for high-sticking on the play. The game also featured a second-period semi-brawl in which Matthew Schaefer and Luke Hughes threw haymakers at one another behind New York’s net.
The Devils scored the game-tying goal with Pelech in the box and ultimately won in overtime on a Jack Hughes breakaway. Before being forced out of the contest, Mantha had played 13:27 of ice time and recorded the primary assist on an Evan Rodrigues first-period goal.
Mantha signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract with the Devils in free agency this past summer. He has rewarded their faith with 10 points (5g, 5a) in 17 games this season, tying for fifth-most points on New Jersey’s roster. The 32-year-old winger earned the deal after a career-best 33-goal, 64-point season with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2025-26.
Since making his NHL debut in 2015-16, Mantha has struggled to stay healthy and has never played a full 82-game schedule. In 605 career games for the Devils, Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals, Vegas Golden Knights, and Calgary Flames, Mantha has recorded 377 points (184g, 193a).
New Jersey played their first game without Mantha on Sunday, dressing 11 forwards and 7 defensemen against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite being without Mantha, the Devils still beat the Maple Leafs handily, as Connor Hellebuyck secured a 23-save shutout in a 4-0 win.
