Devils lose Josefson with broken clavicle

NEWARK, N.J. -- Devils center Jacob Josefson suffered a broken right clavicle in the first period of Friday's 4-3 shootout loss to San Jose. There was no timetable given for his recovery, and coach Pete DeBoer said he didn't know if Josefson would need to have surgery.

Josefson, who was playing more than 17 minutes per game while centering a line that included Ilya Kovalchuk, also hurt himself around this time last season in a game at San Jose. He missed more than two months after having surgery to repair a detached ligament in his right thumb.

"That hurts," captain Zach Parise said. "That's a big loss for us. We'll have to have someone fill in that spot."

Josefson appeared to lose his footing and with the help of Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle, he went hard and shoulder-first into the end boards while the Devils were on a power play late in the first period. Josefson managed to skate off on his own and went immediately to the trainer's room. The Devils announced his injury in the third period.

New Jersey is already missing center Travis Zajac, who underwent surgery on Aug. 18 to repair a torn Achilles tendon. It is possible that center Adam Henrique gets recalled to fill Josefson's role. Henrique was sent down after playing in the first two games of the season.

"Injuries are tough, but everybody deals with them," DeBoer said. "Someone's misfortune is someone else's opportunity, so it will test the depth of the organization. There are guys that can step in here and are going to have to do that."

Sharks forward Torrey Mitchell also left Friday's game with an undisclosed injury. Fifty-nine seconds into the game Mitchell was hit by Devils forward Nick Palmieri along the boards in front of the penalty boxes.

Palmieri was assessed a minor for an illegal check to the head and Mitchell left the ice on his own power after staying down for a while. Sharks coach Todd McLellan didn't offer any details on Mitchell's injury after the game.

"Obviously he didn't return so I'm sure he's a little bit sore, but I don't have an update for you," McLellan said.

Follow Dan Rosen on Twitter at: @drosennhl