Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Game-winner against Hurricanes
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Hamilton scored a goal on two shots, added two PIM, logged three hits, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Hurricanes.
Hamilton's goal was the game-winner, and it was likely a little sweeter for him coming against one of his former teams. He tallied at 10:35 of the third period. The defenseman has nine points in as many games in November and is up to two goals, 16 points, 70 shots on net, 30 blocked shots, 24 hits and 12 PIM through 22 appearances this season, matching his output from 20 outings in an injury-shortened 2023-24 campaign. While matching his 74-point season from 2022-23 might be difficult, it's very reasonable to think Hamilton could reach the 50-point mark for the third time in his career.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Notches two helpers in win
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Hamilton picked up two assists in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Panthers.
The veteran blueliner helped set up tallies by Jack Hughes in the first period and Paul Cotter in the third, giving Hamilton his third multi-point performance in the last eight contests. After an injury-shortened 2023-24, Hamilton has been healthy and productive to begin the current campaign, racking up a goal and 14 points in 19 games.
Hamilton recorded three assists, including one in the power play, in Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over the Islanders.
Hamilton emerged as a reliable offensive threat out of the blue line for the Devils and has recorded helpers in five of his last six outings, notching multiple assists twice in that span. The 31-year-old has 11 assists in 17 appearances this season, so he's definitively trending in the right direction following a rather slow start to the campaign. He also has one goal to his name.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Logs assist in win
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Hamilton had an assist and two shots on net in Thursday's 5-3 win over Montreal.
Hamilton continued a hot stretch, recording his ninth point over the last 10 outings, when he picked up the secondary helper on the first of two goals by Jesper Bratt. The season started slowly for the blueliner, who went scoreless over the first six appearances and is looking for his eighth season with at least 40 points.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Notches assist
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Hamilton posted an assist and went plus-3 in Wednesday's 6-0 win over the Canucks.
Hamilton has received some in-game rest for each of the last three contests, playing less than 20 minutes in each of those games. He has three assists in that span, and it doesn't appear to be a performance issue -- the Devils simply have their preferred personnel available on defense, so head coach Sheldon Keefe doesn't have to lean on his top guys as he did earlier in the month. Through 13 outings, Hamilton is up to a goal, six helpers, 44 shots on net, 15 hits, 19 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Pair of helpers in win
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Hamilton notched two assists, five shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Ducks.
One of his helpers came on the power play. Hamilton saw a four-game point streak end Friday, but he responded with his first multi-point effort of the campaign. The 31-year-old defenseman is pushing play in the offensive zone with at least three shots on net in 10 of his 12 games this season. He's collected a goal, five helpers, 44 shots, 19 blocked shots, 14 hits and a minus-3 rating while seeing top-four minutes and power-play time.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Extends point streak in loss
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Hamilton registered a helper on the man advantage in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Red Wings.
Hamilton banked a secondary assist on Nico Hischier's third-period power-play marker. Hamilton added six shots, two blocks, one hit and a minus-1 rating to go along with a team-high 24:28 of ice time. The right-shot blueliner is currently riding a four-game point streak consisting of one goal and three assists after failing to register a point in his first six outings. Since Luke Hughes made his season debut in Thursday's loss, Hamilton will likely need to produce offense at a consistent pace if he wants to fend off the former for the quarterback role on the No. 1 power-play unit. Hamilton has posted four points (one goal) and a minus-5 rating over 10 games.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Ties game on power play
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Hamilton scored a power-play goal on four shots, added two hits, blocked two shots and went minus-2 in Saturday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Capitals.
After opening the season with no points over six games, Hamilton has gotten on the scoresheet in back-to-back outings. The defenseman's process has been solid throughout -- he's posted multiple shots on net in seven of eight contests this season for a total of 28. Hamilton has also logged 11 hits and 16 blocked shots, which is an uptick from his usual level of physicality. Now that he's shaken off the rust, fantasy managers can deploy Hamilton with confidence as a borderline No. 1 fantasy defenseman.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Gets on scoresheet with helper
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Hamilton notched an assist and four shots on goal in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Senators.
Hamilton's offense was a bit late to the party, but he's finally cracked the goose egg in the points column. It's likely the 31-year-old defenseman had to shake off the rust after missing most of last season due to a pectoral injury. Hamilton has added 24 shots on net, 14 blocked shots, nine hits and a plus-1 rating over seven appearances, so fantasy managers should continue to be patient with the blueliner, who has reached double digits in goals in eight of his last 10 seasons.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Ready for 2024-25
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Hamilton has fully recovered from his pectoral injury, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports Wednesday.
Hamilton didn't play past Nov. 28 because of the injury. He underwent surgery for a torn pectoral muscle Dec. 1 and was placed on long-term injured reserve Jan. 25. Having Hamilton healthy for the 2024-25 campaign will give the Devils a big boost. He excelled in 2022-23 with 22 goals and 74 points in 82 regular-season contests and recorded at least 30 points in nine consecutive campaigns before being limited to 20 contests in 2024-25. If not for the injury, he would have almost certainly extended the streak -- he already had five goals and 16 points last season before getting hurt.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: May not return for regular season
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Hamilton (pectoral) is in danger of missing the rest of the regular season, with general manager Tom Fitzgerald telling reporters Tuesday, "It's long-term with Dougie. Will he play by the end of the season? Right now I don't know," per Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site.
Hamilton has been out of action since Nov. 28 against the Islanders, a stretch of 41 games on long-term injured reserve. The 30-year-old blueliner was putting together a strong offensive campaign prior to getting hurt, racking up 16 points in 20 games for the Devils. At this point, fantasy players probably shouldn't be expecting him to play much even if he does return during the regular season.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Placed on long-term injured reserve
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Hamilton (pectoral) was moved from injured reserve to long-term injured reserve Thursday, James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now reports.
This move can be made retroactive to Nov. 28, and Hamilton isn't expected to return until March at the earliest, so this doesn't impact his timetable. However, it does give the Devils considerable cap maneuverability for the duration of Hamilton's time on LTIR. The 30-year-old defenseman, who comes with a $9 million cap hit, has five goals and 16 points in 20 contests in 2023-24.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Not close to return
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Coach Lindy Ruff said Friday that Hamilton (pectoral) "is a long ways away," Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Hamilton had surgery Dec. 1 for a torn pectoral muscle and will likely be sidelined for another three to four months. The defenseman had five goals and 16 points in 20 games before his injury, including four goals and eight points on the power play. Hamilton is iffy at best to return before the end of the regular season, but he could be back for some playoff action depending on how deep a run the Devils are able to make.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Out indefinitely
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Hamilton underwent surgery for a torn pectoral muscle Friday and will be out indefinitely.
This will be a big blow to the Devils' blue line, though they are able to replace Hamilton with highly regarded prospect, Simon Nemec. Despite a minus-8 rating, Hamilton has five goals and 16 points in 20 games this season. An update on his status should be available once the team has a better idea of his recovery timeline.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Surfaces on IR
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Hamilton (upper body) has been placed on injured reserve, per the NHL media site.
Hamilton's placement on injured reserve was presumably made retroactive to Nov. 29, so he should be eligible to return Thursday against the Kraken, although it remains to be seen if he'll have enough time to heal up ahead of that contest. Look for Luke Hughes to continue to skate on the No. 1 power-play unit during Hamilton's absence.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Out Thursday
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Hamilton (upper body) isn't expected to play Thursday versus Philadelphia.
Hamilton sustained the injury during Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Islanders. He's been a key defenseman for the Devils this season, providing five goals and 16 points in 20 contests while averaging 20:59 of ice time. Brendan Smith, who was previously serving as a forward, is projected to shift to defense and serve on a pairing with Jonas Siegenthaler against the Flyers. Samuel Laberge is set to play on the fourth line in his NHL debut after being summoned from AHL Utica on Wednesday.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Being evaluated for injury
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Hamilton (upper body) is being evaluated and remains questionable for Thursday's game versus Philadelphia, coach Lindy Ruff told Sam Kasan of the Devils' official site on Wednesday.
Hamilton suffered the injury during Tuesday's 5-4 victory over the Islanders. He has five goals and 16 points in 20 contests this campaign. If Hamilton can't play Thursday, then Brendan Smith, who has been serving as a forward, will likely shift to defense, and Samuel Laberge might make his NHL debut as a member of the fourth line.
Hamilton suffered an upper-body injury Tuesday versus the Islanders, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Hamilton was unable to play in the third period after logging 13:25 of ice time over the first two frames. The 30-year-old can be considered day-to-day for now. If he misses time, Luke Hughes and John Marino figure to fill the gap, while Brendan Smith would likely move back from forward to defense.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Sets up power-play marker
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Hamilton recorded a power-play assist, three shots on goal, two PIM and a minus-2 rating in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Jets.
Hamilton has a goal and three helpers over his last four games, all coming on the power play. His last even-strength point came back on Oct. 24. The defenseman is up to five goals, six helpers, eight power-play points, 50 shots on net, 19 blocked shots and a minus-8 rating through 14 contests overall.
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Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Supplies power-play goal
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Hamilton provided a power-play goal in the Devils' 5-3 win over Minnesota on Thursday.
Hamilton bested Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson late in the third period to give New Jersey the 5-3 edge it finished with. That marker snapped Hamilton's three-game scoring drought. He has four goals and seven points in nine outings this campaign, which is an offensive pace the 30-year-old defenseman is capable of maintaining.
