Lindy Ruff Offers Details on Mackenzie Blackwood's Injury

Doing a quick Google search, MCL sprains take - on average - six weeks to fully heal, give or take a couple of weeks depending on severity. Blackwood was the Devils' 'starter' as it were - before his injury - but it's as clear-cut a 1A-1B situation as there is in the NHL with Vitek Vanecek.

Both Blackwood and Vanecek have appeared in 7 games to this point, and combined they have backstopped the Devils to their best start since 2012 when they fell in the Stanley Cup Finals.

You could call Ruff's update an optimistic development, at least Devils fans could. Last season they recycled through seven goalies, who combined for one of the worst seasons of goaltending in the modern era. With Jonathan Bernier ahead of schedule, and their AHL goalies - recently recalled Akira Schmid and Nico Daws - are both promising in their own rights. A mere 4-6 week absence is not ideal, but far from the worst case scenario.