RSS Devils Team Notes

[New Jersey Devils]

Jake Allen Steals The Show As New Jersey Devils Win 2-1 In Shootout Over Vegas Golden Knights

First Period​

By FAR the most notable thing about the first period is that it marked the return of Brett Pesce. Pesce was off to a really good start this season, picking up right where he left off with Luke Hughes to form an excellent defense pair. But Pesce was injured in the October 26 game against the Colorado Avalanche and had been out with an apparent hand injury since. What a welcome sight it was to see #22 out on the ice once more.

Aside from Pesce’s return, the first period was notable for actually being a pretty decent 20 minutes for the Devils. They did get outshot 10-8, but New Jersey generated their fair share of quality chances at 5-on-5. Jonas Siegenthaler taking a penalty before the game was one minute old really didn’t help, but after a solid kill, the Devils held the better of the play for most of the opening frame.

The goaltenders did a good job to keep things scoreless through the first. Jake Allen had to make a terrific save on a two-on-one to keep the Knights off the board. On the other side, former guest of the government Carter Hart made a nice save on Ondrej Palat, though honestly I put that more on Palat firing a shot directly into Hart than Hart making a good save. Nevertheless, both goalies were on their game in the first.

Vegas had a bit of a flurry late in the opening frame, but New Jersey survived that to get to the locker room scoreless.

Second Period​

The Golden Knights were on the front foot early in the middle frame. The Hischier line got pinned in the zone on a marathon shift, and while Vegas got a couple good looks on the shift, the New Jersey defense weathered the storm and eventually got a clear. Later on the Hischier line had a shift like that of their own, generating some high quality looks for what seemed like forever, though they couldn’t find the back of the net.

But you know who could find the back of the net? Connor Brown. He combined with Cody Glass on an extremely effective forecheck that saw Brown steal the puck near the corner, charge toward the net all alone, and make a sick move to hook a shot around Hart and in:

Connor Brown with a power move

: @NHL_On_TNT & @StreamOnMax https://t.co/4TuyIATi3T pic.twitter.com/eQEZc8lOTh

— NHL (@NHL) December 18, 2025

It was a gorgeous goal, one New Jersey sorely needed.

The game calmed down a little bit from there, but with a little less than five minutes to go, Hischier drew a tripping penalty on Mitch Marner to send the Devils to the power play. It was actually a pretty lousy man-advantage, with Vegas producing a couple shorthanded looks early in the 5-on-4. The second unit put some decent looks on net, but with one second to go in the power play, Paul Cotter was called for retaliating against Zach Whitecloud to send the Devils to the kill. What was he retaliating for? Probably the two blatant crosschecks (one by Whitecloud, one by Noah Hanafin) that went bewilderingly uncalled by the officials. Hey, the game isn’t going to manage itself!

Vegas held the zone for basically the entire power play, but couldn’t really crack New Jersey’s kill. And when they did manage to get to the inside, Allen was there to make the stop. The Devils successfully killed the call, as Cotter jumped back on with about a minute left in the middle frame. Vegas continued to hold the zone until the period ended, but couldn’t get any good looks at the net. New Jersey exited the second period still holding their 1-0 lead.

Third Period​

The third period got off to a bit of a choppy start, but eventually Vegas started to take control. New Jersey did a decent job keeping them to the outside for the most part, though at one point Brenden Saad found himself all alone right in front of the net. Fortunately he shot the puck right into Allen, who poke checked the rebound out of harm’s way. Aside from that, New Jersey held it together well, and eventually the Devils put together some offense themselves.

As the period wore on, the Devils started to play the “Get it deep and survive the next shift” game. Which is a dangerous game to play considering how much zone time you concede when you do that, but through the first half of the period it was working. The shot totals and Expected Goals were starting to really tilt Vegas’ way by the 10-minute mark, but the Devils maintained solid defensive structure and held their 1-0 edge as the game was ticking away.

From about the 10-minute mark to the 6-minute mark, the Devils actually started to push for offense again. The Hischier line generated some decent zone time, as did the Glass line. But they couldn’t find the insurance marker. Then with about five minutes left to go, Juho Lammikko got tagged for a tripping call to send the Devils to a crucial late penalty kill. And wouldn’t you know it, about 50 seconds into the kill, Pavel Dorofeyev one-timed a blast home to finally crack Allen and tie the game at 1-1 with about four minutes left in regulation.

New Jersey almost responded immediately, as Palat created a turnover in Vegas’ zone and backhanded a pass to a cutting Glass all alone. Glass skated down the slot and fired a shot that Hart swallowed up though, so the game remained tied. This was followed up by the Hischier line creating a ton of dangerous looks on the next shift, but they couldn’t find the go-ahead goal either.

With about two minutes left, Sheldon Keefe did something I really didn’t like: He send the fourth line out for a shift. Considering it was their penalty that allowed Vegas to tie the game, and they’re, you know, the fourth line, I thought this was a very avoidable mistake. Thankfully it didn’t burn the Devils, as they settled their shift with no harm done.

New Jersey iced the puck twice in the final 30 seconds of the period, but thankfully this didn’t hurt the Devils either, as the frame ended 1-1 to send this game to overtime. Because when a game was scheduled for 10pm and didn’t start until about 10:22pm anyway, why wouldn’t we have overtime?

Overtime​

The Golden Knights controlled the opening faceoff and the first 90ish seconds of possession, but they couldn’t do anything with all the possession time. New Jersey took the puck after that and did basically the same: Lots of possession but no chances. Tomas Hertl eventually led a 2-on-1 down the ice, but Allen made the stop for the first big opportunity of overtime.

Then with 1:53 left, Dawson Mercer got called for hooking Mark Stone to send the Devils to the penalty kill once more. On the 4-on-3, the Knights hit three posts and generally looked pretty dangerous while holding possession the entire time, but the Devils somehow held to send the contest to a shootout. Because again, why not at this point?

Shootout​

Paul Cotter was stopped on a deke.

Dorofeyev was saved on a wrister.

Bratt scored on an amazing deke and backhander!

Stone was saved on a wrister. Both him and Dorofeyev tried to go glove side on Allen but Allen snatched the shot each time.

Hamilton was stopped on a wrister.

Marner tried to deke around Allen, but Allen poke-checked it off his stick. In the process, the puck ricocheted off Marner’s skate and into the net. But the “goal” was immediately waved off for being struck twice, which is illegal in the shootout.

The Devils win!

The Game Stats: The NHL.com Game Summary | The NHL.com Event Summary | The NHL.com Play by Play Log | The NHL.com Shot Summary | The Natural Stat Trick Game Stats

Very Quick Hits​

Considering this game started at approximately 4:38am and went all the way to a shootout, I just do not have much more analysis in me at this point. Forgive me, I’m only human.

We’ll do this very quickly then:

• I cannot begin to tell you just how happy I was to see Pesce back in the lineup. He paired up with Hughes once again and I thought he looked like he didn’t miss a beat. His underlying numbers weren’t amazing at around 47% xGF% at 5-on-5, but I still thought it was a quality return to action for Pesce. Hopefully he continues to get back up to speed in a hurry.
• Jake Allen, take a bow. He allowed the late equalizer, but he was otherwise brilliant. He made 36 saves on 37 shots, and according to Natural Stat Trick, he saved a remarkable 3.75 Goals Above Expected.
• Jesper Bratt, take a bow as well. His filthy move in the shootout made the difference.
• Nico Hischier, you should take a bow as well. He was absolutely all over the ice tonight, generating high-quality chance after high-quality chance. He didn’t score this evening, but he certainly deserved to. His 54.77 xGF% at 5-on-5 looks good enough, but considering he was matched up against the Mark Stone-Mitch Marner line, it was even more impressive than it looks. Hischier was a dynamo tonight.
• I really do feel like Cody Glass and Connor Brown have some serious chemistry. Once Arseni Gritsyuk comes back, I think those three can really be an excellent third line.

Next Time Out​

The Devils are back at it on Friday when they play the Mammoth in Utah. Puck drop is scheduled for 9:00pm.

Your Take​

What did you make of tonight’s game? And what do you expect next time out? And what did you think of Brett Pesce in his return? As always, thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...win-2-1-in-shootout-over-vegas-golden-knights

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Should the New Jersey Devils Consider Carrying Three Goaltenders Right Now?

The New Jersey Devils may have gotten a great goaltending performance last night, but it doesn’t mean the overall issues are gone. Jake Allen might be rocking a decent enough .912 through his 18 appearances but the Devils overall sit in the middle of the NHL pack (tied for 16th overall) with a team save percentage of .894. Why? Well, it’s partly because of Nico Daws’ one appearances where he rocked a .968, but if we’re looking at why it is below .900, well, that’s because we’re bringing up Jacob Markstrom again.

Since his return from injury last season, I would say the only stretch where Markstrom’s play could be described overall as “good” or better was the 2025 playoffs. He was rusty (or maybe this was the sign of the beginning of the decline) when he returned towards the end of the 2024-25 regular season, and the strong playoff performance has not even remotely carried over. In his 17 contests, Markstrom has only had a save percentage above .900 twice; he’s also only allowed fewer than three goals in three of his 16 starts. I think we’ve already come to the conclusion that he’s actively costing the Devils games that he starts, but if you weren’t sure of that, just look at Chris’ review of the Vancouver game where he points out (with pictures) how bad Markstrom’s positioning is.

So with Markstrom being so bad, Allen being good and all of the injuries the Devils currently have, why not bring Daws up and keep three goalies? Roster space isn’t an issue at this juncture with three players on IR, two on LTIR and Timo Meier currently away for a personal matter. Maybe Daws isn’t the answer; maybe he’s not even an upgrade. At this point though, he couldn’t be any worse than Markstrom is; regardless of how you feel about him as a prospect (former prospect?) or player, objectively speaking his career numbers in limited games are better than what Markstrom is producing right now. Sure, maybe Markstrom’s career numbers are better, but he seems to be in obvious decline right now, and I would rather bank on the 24 year old improving than the soon to be 36 year old returning to previous form.

Personally, I think it’s worth calling Daws up anyway; he’s not the solution for a struggling Utica team, but he could at least be worth playing in back to backs to give Allen a rest. Allen meanwhile should be the starter until further notice. While he has had some bad performances this season, he’s looked better overall than both himself from last season and Markstrom this season. Jake has earned that much, and hopefully the team realized that as well, which resulted in him starting last night. If he starts again tomorrow, it may be a better indicator of how the Devils feel about their goalies.

The bigger issue that comes from all of this, and could be why the Devils choose not to go with three goalies, is Tom Fitzgerald. Why Fitz? Simply because calling up a third goalie, and effectively Press Box-ing Markstrom would reflect really poorly on the GM who just signed Markstrom to a two year extension which will see him count against the cap for more than double Allen and Daws combined. The Devils cap situation and trade clauses were already being criticized by fans and pundits for limiting what the team’s management could do to strengthen the club. Calling Daws up will only result in more scrutiny of a deal that was already being seen as unnecessary at the time and is looking as though it is going to age worse than milk. Said increased scrutiny could also have ownership start to question if they have the right GM to bring a fourth cup to New Jersey. I’m sure Fitz will do anything to keep the heat off himself right now, so calling up a goalie probably isn’t in the cards.

The Devils getting healthy will play a role in the team improving. Brett Pesce returning to the lineup last night was a good start to that. I still think if Fitz really wants to increase his job security, he should call up a third goalie. A little extra competition to get games never hurts, especially if maybe it motivates your $6 million goalie to remember how to position himself and not give up juicy rebounds all the time. Plus, again, it’s not like Daws could be any worse. New Jersey is still very much in the thick of things even with all the players they’re missing; adding a better backup can only improve the hopes that they have for this season.

What are your thoughts on the Devils potentially calling up Nico Daws and carrying three goalies; are you in favor? Do you think it’s better to just play Allen as often as possible and only bring Markstrom in when seemingly necessary? Is there another option you would like to see the team pursue? Leave any and all comments down below and thanks as always for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...consider-carrying-three-goaltenders-right-now

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #34: New Jersey Devils at Vegas Golden Knights

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (18-14-1) at the Vegas Golden Knights (16-6-9).

The Time: 10:00 PM EST

The Broadcast: TNT, Devils Hockey Radio

The Game Preview: Matt had the preview today.

The Rules: If you have been a reader here, you already know the rules. But for the rest, a reminder: please do not swear in the comment section, and keep comments relevant to the hockey game going on. Beyond that, do not attack any other commenters, and do not ask for or pass along illegal streams on this board.

LGD!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...-34-new-jersey-devils-at-vegas-golden-knights

 

[New Jersey Devils]

How Much Can the Devils Rely on Injured Players Returning?

The Devils needed Brett Pesce to return to the lineup on Wednesday like most life on Earth needs oxygen to breathe.

Just from the first sights of him in the photos of the team in practice, you can see his infectious smile and positive attitude. When I saw him next to Luke Hughes, I actually had hope again that a positive change was coming. The New Jersey Devils have clearly had a rough month. It’s been visible in their on-ice play, their expressions on the bench, and also audible in their responses to the media. The players and the coaches alike have seemed like they have shared the dark cloud hanging overhead. But something seemed to immediately shift when Brett Pesce rejoined the team at practice.

Is the team a failure for having a rough month? No. It was certainly frustrating to watch, and the team needs to continue considering changes to improve the team, but it’s not hard to understand why a team that has dealt with injury after injury before having the lingering question of who may be moved so the team can get Quinn Hughes festering in the locker room may have had some abnormal struggles for the kinds of players they are. Some have been snakebitten, offensively. Some have been lost, defensively. Some have been both. But now, trades are nothing but the loosest of rumors, and better times seem to be ahead on the injury front.

On Wednesday night, the Devils played like a much better team with Pesce back on the ice. They had the better of possession and expected goals numbers at even strength, only going to overtime because of a missed coverage on the penalty kill after a clearing attempt from Pesce by the wall was deflected back towards the middle. Had the other three Devils not been cheating towards the puck too much, Allen probably would have had a shutout. But it is what it is — Jake Allen still held it down long enough for Bratt to win the game in a shootout, and the Devils still got two points.

Beyond the numbers, the team skated with better legs than they have been for the past few weeks. When Sheldon Keefe praised Pesce after Wednesday night’s win, he said that Pesce is probably their “loudest guy on the bench.” I do not take this to mean that Brett Pesce is going to get in someone’s face and confront them over mistakes and whatnot, but it does seem like he is going to give a lot of vocal encouragement and pick-ups to the rest of the team. He’s a positive guy. What’s more is, with the Devils’ younger defensemen, Brett Pesce is such a good teammate to look up to because of, as Keefe mentioned in the same interview, his high-quality reads and plays that inject energy into the rest of the team.

Some people think that a good defensive defenseman is one who can sit back and just crunch people at the blueline, or make frequent desperate plays in the defensive zone. Brett Pesce does not get things done like that very often, from what I see. I see a defenseman that doesn’t even want to let the puck get to the blueline: he doesn’t even want to cede the center ice red line. But with speed and good angles, Pesce gets right up on the play and knocks the puck back towards the offensive zone and does his best to maintain offensive zone possession. Aside from Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce is the next-best Devils defenseman at keeping the puck in the offensive zone (but we trust Pesce to make more defensive plays in the next 100 or so feet of the ice if doing so fails).

But a lingering question in my mind is: how much can the Devils rely on the return of their injured players to turn this season around? It sounds like Jack Hughes is not far off, which would just leave the following players on injured reserve after his return (not including Timo Meier, who is non-roster for personal reasons, or Arseny Gritsyuk, who is expected back soon):

• Simon Nemec
• Johnny Kovacevic
• Evgenii Dadonov
• Zack MacEwen
• Marc McLaughlin

Do not get me wrong: these five players probably have quite a bit to offer the Devils in their current state. I have loved watching Colton White on the back-end, but Kovacevic will probably help change the game for a guy like Jonas Siegenthaler, who has struggled this season. Or Nemec can help inject more offense into the blueline. Dadonov can help bring more of a finishing touch to the third line. MacEwen brings high energy to the fourth as long as he stays healthy. And McLaughlin could have a path to playing fourth line center in certain stretches if the team feels like Luke Glendening isn’t playing to an everyday level.

But here’s the other end of it: the team can’t just say, okay, we’re healthy now and flip an injury switch to OFF like they’re in a video game. More players will get banged up in the second half, and they may even be the same players who have already been out, or they may not. And to incorporate all of these players, some other guys may have to be waived or traded.

Thankfully, with Brett Pesce back, it really seems like the defense has the depth to do well again. I just do not think that Tom Fitzgerald should go to the media in a month or three and say, well, we really like getting our guys back, which is really like a deadline acquisition for us because they haven’t been out there or some similar string of words. The reality is that the team was sinking without Hughes and Pesce. But should the team be so reliant on two guys when they have many other high-paid players? Where is the AHL and organizational depth that can be inserted and keep the train chugging along, as we see in other teams like Carolina? Things are not dire, but they are still a bit questionable.

For now, though, I am very happy that Brett Pesce is back, and I hope that his attitude and energy continues to rub off on the rest of the team. Let’s see them get another win tonight.

Your Thoughts​

What do you think of the Devils’ current situation? Do you think things will reliably turn around when more players return from injured reserve? Or are the Devils betting too much on improved health in the second half of the season? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below, and thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...-the-devils-rely-on-injured-players-returning

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Utah, Get Me Two

On the heels of a hard fought shootout win in Vegas, the Devils popped over to Utah and hung on for a close fought win on the heels of strong performances from Connor Brown, Nico Hischier, and Jacob Markstrom. This win puts them back in the top 3 in the division with 41 points, just one point behind the Caps for 2nd.

Since the overall game was relatively low event, below wound up more about some general trends and state of the team and some players. After looking like the wheels were coming off the past few weeks they have steadied the ship a bit, and are now 3-2 in their last five, and are heading home after this quick road trip with 4 points. Their 10-game moving average of xG differential has also crept up past break even, signaling they have been getting the better play of late, albeit scoring still seems like a herculean task.

This game had a good pace and energy early, with both teams trading chances in the first. Utah plays a diet version of Carolina’s stress hockey (credit: Jared), and felt like they were right on top of our guys across all three zones. Led by Keller, Guenther, and Peterka (Baderka? Perdurka?) they were able to generate a ton of speed through the neutral zone and have good active defenseman in Marino (hi Jon), Sergachev, and Durzi.

Markstrom was locked in early with a great cross-crease save on But, and a couple mid-period sprawling saves on Hayton. He made several sturdy saves throughout the game, included one great glove save on a naked Durzi in the 3rd. We need this guy to be competent back there, and aside from the TB debacle where he got pulled he has strung together good starts in Ottawa (3GA), Vancouver (2GA), and now Utah (1GA) – with tonight probably his best start of the season. He finished with 32 saves on 33 shots, and kept us clean through the late 6 on 5 and 6 on 4 in the last 2 minutes.

I love Connor Brown, probably top 2 or 3 ginger in the state of New Jersey. After a little lull in his play after coming back from his injury, he now has 3 goals in the last 4 and is one goal off the team lead. That line of Glass-Brown-Palat has been fantastic of late, and are just a perfect combination of annoying guys to play against. They give you no space, hound the D constantly, and force errors.

This was a great zone entry from Dougie, nice little shimmy shake from Brown to work it down low while Nico fought for real estate in front. Brown finished his route back out the other side, and buries it short side. Handsome gentleman type stuff here:

View Link

For the 4th game in a row, we took an early penalty, and for the 3rd time it was Dougie Hamilton with a lazy trip after getting caught flat footed. I wrote this summer how we couldn’t move on from him just yet, largely predicated on what the alternative was, but his offense doesn’t off set his defense anymore (which it consistently has, by a lot, argue with a wall). All of his shooting rates, scoring rates, and chance generation rates have dipped significantly from what had been pretty steady across the past few seasons. He should retroactively get a point tonight (as of now he does not have one) which gives him 1 official assist since coming back from injury. With the emergence of Nemec it’s time we say goodbye. I know a lot of people think we should’ve over the summer but we just couldn’t with the state of the D Corps – and we are still investigating what executive is responsible for that.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Mammoth got on the board first on the subsequent PP, the 1st NHL goal for Daniil But from Durzi. Luke didn’t get enough on a clearance, and after a nice keep by Durzi, he found But left alone in the slot. The return of Pesce is a godsend, because this PK has been a dumpster fire of late, now ranked 28th in the league after starting the season near perfect. Through the month of December it is clicking at 52.2% – that isn’t a typo – just awful stuff. While they have given up a PP goal against the past two games, it has largely looked better, they are challenging on zone entries, clearing the puck with authority and getting in shot lanes. During their roughs stretch they were getting beat because of effort and structure, the past two were off broken plays.

Similarly the power play has been just awful, converting on 1 for their last 21 and 13% in the month of December. Gross. They got a golden chance in the 1st with a 5 on 3 but generated next to nothing except for a few shin bruises for the Mammoth. I get losing Jack is a tough blow, and he is a unicorn dual threat coming downhill on the left flank, but it is just far too static right now. The 5 on 3 was a good distillation of that, they largely stayed still in an umbrella passing around just to bury shots in Utah’s shinguards. One of Jack’s other talents is creating shooting and passing lanes through motion, and the rest of the guys seem to read off him well and it causes massive problems for the opposition PK. The non-Jack related problem is we don’t have any real shooting threats – our 3 best in Jack, Timo and Gritsyuk are on the shelf and Dougie is a shell of himself at the moment. We are putting Ondrej Palat out there on the first unit – that’s pretty bleak. They did find one in the 3rd finally, in a play reminiscent of early last season – with Noesen collecting a rebound and burying one net front. That is the type of goal they’re going to need to manufacture not he power play, get a shot through get a rebound, crash the net. the pretty passing plays aren’t it right now.

I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that Crookshank penalty was a bad call. Just a light scrum after a big hit (by DeSimone, miss you buddy) is a nothing burger. Not to be the old man that yells at clouds here, but I have been slowly working through a conspiracy blog about refs, I just feel like we have been on the bad end of some egregious calls more than we haven’t been. I also think that Mercer call in OT against Vegas was awful too, they were jockeying for position on a loose puck, Stone didn’t have it on his stick. I am by no means a blame the ref guy, but something needs to be said about it.

Nico picked up 2 assists tonight, but we need more from him, Bratt and Mercer. These guys are the 1st line right now, and coming into tonight in their last 10 games: Nico had 1 goal and 3 assists, Bratt had 5 pts (1 goal, a throwaway against TB) and Mercer had 1 goal and 3 assists. That is just flat out not good enough from these three. That is also 1 goal for Mercer in his last 18 games, who made some questionable plays tonight and has regressed significantly after a promising start. We need the best players to be our best players. Period.

Your Thoughts​

Gold star if you can call the movie that the title is from.

I didn’t intend for this to just be mostly negative, gutting out 2-1 wins with strong goaltending is not a bad thing. We needed that one. It’s just we can be so much better. It’s also late, these time zones should be abolished.

Let me know what you think! Good? Bad? Ugly?

LGD

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/devils-game-recaps/64582/utah-get-me-two

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #35: New Jersey Devils at Utah Mammoth

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (19-14-1) at the Utah Mammoth (17-16-3).

The Time: 9:00 PM EST

The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN 2, Devils Hockey Radio

The Game Preview: Matt had the preview today.

The Rules: If you have been a reader here, you already know the rules. But for the rest, a reminder: please do not swear in the comment section, and keep comments relevant to the hockey game going on. Beyond that, do not attack any other commenters, and do not ask for or pass along illegal streams on this board.

LGD!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...methread-34-new-jersey-devils-at-utah-mammoth

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Game Preview #35: New Jersey Devils @ Utah Mammoth

There are no pictures of the Devils versus the Utah “Mammoth” so this is what you get, and you’ll like it. | Photo by Rich Graessle/NHL via Getty Images

• The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (19-14-1) @ Utah Mammoth (17-16-3)
• The Time: 9:00pm EST
• The Broadcast: MSGSN 2, Devils Hockey Radio

Last Devils Game​

Late (on the east coast) Wednesday night (morning?) the Devils defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1. In case you have been living under a rock, or just, you know, busy…the game marked the return of Brett Pesce. It was the first game Pesce had played in since the win on 10/26 against Colorado. The Devils (and Luke Hughes) were happy to have their best D man back.

The teams went scoreless in the 1st period before Connor Brown made a nasty power move to score unassisted early in the 2nd period. Vegas tied the game with a late power play goal in the 3rd period from Pavel Dorofeyev which eventually sent the game to OT and the skills contest shootout. Surprisingly, Paul Cotter did not score in the shootout as the first man up for the Devils. Vegas was kept off the scoreboard in the shootout and Jesper Bratt scored in the 2nd round to win the game for the Devils.

It was nice to see the Devils win a tight, low scoring game. Heck, it was nice to see the Devils win period. The biggest highlight of the night was probably the return of Brett Pesce. However, let’s talk about the 1st star of the game, Jake “Hi, I’m right here and I’m an actual NHL goalie” Allen. Allen made 36 saves and posted a .973 sv %. I’m just going to leave this here, but there is basically no chance the Devils win this game or make it to OT with Markstrom in net.

Last Mammoth Game​

On Wednesday night, Utah defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-1. The game was their last of a 3 game road trip which saw them win 2 out of 3. Prior to the game, Detroit had won 5 of their previous 6 games. However, they were never really in command against Utah.

After ending the 1st period scoreless, Utah scored 2 goals in the 2nd period to enter the 3rd with a comfortable 2-0 lead. Detroit scored a power play goal at around the halfway mark of the 3rd to make it 2-1. However, Utah would score again less than 5 minutes later and again less than a minute later to go up 4-1 and that was that, as they say.

Karel Vejmelka got the win in net for the Mammoth, his 15th of the season. In their last 10 games, he has started 7 times. One could make the argument that he will probably start tonight against the Devils. However, maybe Utah head coach Andre Tourigny will feel the need to give our old pal, Stanley Cup winner Vitek Vanecek, a chance to beat his old team tonight. We shall see.

Injuries, Roster for Tonight, Yada, Yada, Yada.​

The Devils had practice on Thursday, but there was not much new to report afterwards. Per Amanda Stein, it looks like the same lineup from Vegas will be playing tonight.

Légaré and Addison are serving as placeholders today in practice. Otherwise, everything remains the same for #NJDevils at practice today in Utah: https://t.co/tAQN0O7DOL pic.twitter.com/4kzmRCwRYz

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) December 18, 2025

There has been no news as of this writing on the starting goalie for tonight. I would expect an announcement at some point today as far as who the starter will be today. I’d be beyond shocked if Keefe decides to play Allen 2 games in a row, which means if I had to guess, Markstrom will get the nod tonight.

Grimace’s Prediction and 2025-2026 Record Tracker​

Grimace is happy to be back in the win column after his correct prediction Wednesday night. He is also happy to be back over .500. I’ve been informed that the Devils will win again tonight to get their first 2 game win “streak” since November.

Grimace’s 2025-2026 Season Prediction record currently stands at 10-9-0.

Your Take​

I’m sure Sheldon Keefe won’t do this and I’m sure some of you will disagree with me too. However, to be blunt, the Devils have to ride Allen for the majority of the games going forward. If he starts to fall apart from more starts, fine. They can cross that bridge when they get there. The bottom line is, objectively, Allen gives the team a chance to win most nights and Markstrom does not. It really is (should) be that simple. Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below and thanks for reading!

In a shameless bit of non hockey related self promotion (approved by Chris – thanks Chris), I wanted to plug my brand new podcast on here, if any of you are interested in listening. We have a light hearted, fun discussion about any movies, music or video games mostly from the 1980s and 1990s. Please feel free to listen to us on any of the formats below and any feedback is welcome (positive and negative). Also, please follow us and subscribe, even if you think we stink.

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Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...ame-preview-35-new-jersey-devils-utah-mammoth

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Game Preview #36: New Jersey Devils vs. Buffalo Sabres

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (20-14-1) vs. Buffalo Sabres (16-14-4)

The Time: 7:00pm ET

The Broadcast: MSGSN, Devils Radio Network

Last Devils Game​

On Friday night, New Jersey wrapped up their quick two-game road trip with a 2-1 win in Utah over the Mammoth. The embattled Jacob Markstrom authored perhaps his best performance of the season, stopping 32 of 33 shots, while Connor Brown and Stefan Noesen scored the goals.

Last Sabres Game​

Buffalo was in action last night, claiming a 3-2 shootout victory over the New York Islanders. Buffalo was leading 2-1 with less than a minute to play, but allowed a game-tying goal to help New York salvage a point, much to the chagrin of Devils fans everywhere.

Last Devils-Sabres Game​

The first matchup of the season between these teams took place on Black Friday, and it was one of the most lopsided decisions of the year with New Jersey winning 5-0 in Buffalo. The game was closer than that final score would indicate, as the Sabres outshot the Devils 42-23. Jake Allen was dazzling that night, pitching a 42-save shutout, while Arseny Gritsyuk registered his first multi-goal game of his career.

Reinforcements On The Way?​

As has been noted a million times by now, the Devils have endured quite a few injuries this season. They did recently get a very big piece back as Brett Pesce returned to the lineup on Wednesday, but the injury list is still very long. And that’s what makes this quote from Sheldon Keefe after Friday’s win so notable:

HC Sheldon Keefe alluded that there may be some reinforcements to the lineup on the way.

He said, postgame: "I think we will get some bodies back when we get home for Sunday."#NJDevils take on the Sabres on Sunday night.

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) December 20, 2025

As if that weren’t enough, the New Jersey Devils’ official Twitter account quote-tweeted this with an eyes emoji. This implies to me that the Devils are expecting some big names back, and sure enough, yesterday we got a little clarity on what Keefe was referencing:

#NEWS: Prior to the roster freeze, we assigned F Xavier Parent and D Calen Addison to Utica (AHL) and activated F Timo Meier off the non-roster list.

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) December 20, 2025

Meier has missed some time recently to attend to a personal matter with his family. We still don’t know exactly what it was, but considering it’s a private matter, that’s fine with me. I’m very happy to see that Meier has taken care of whatever he needed to take care of, here’s hoping him and his family are doing alright. And as far as what it means for the on-ice product, it’s obviously huge. Meier has been having a bit of an up and down campaign, but it’s mostly been up. I would argue this has been his best season as a Devil, and with the team struggling as much as it has been to produce offense, it’ll be so nice to welcome him back to the lineup.

But remember, Keefe said he expects “bodies” back. Plural. And again, the Devils’ Twitter account treating this like some juicy news implies to me that the returning players are big names. So aside from Meier, could this mean Jack Hughes? It’s possible, as his original timeline wouldn’t be that far off from today. Not to mention there’s been smoke around him returning soon. Needless to say, getting Meier AND Hughes back on the same day would be game-changing. I just hope that if it is Hughes, they aren’t rushing him back. There are only two games until the Christmas break after all, so while every game without Hughes is a frustrating one, I’d be fine with giving him just a little bit more time if he needs it.

But a Hughes return is just speculation right now. We’ll have to wait and see who else, if anybody, gets back on the ice for New Jersey prior to tonight’s game.

Figure It Out​

The Devils gave up another power play goal on Friday, going 2-for-3 overall on the kill. Their own power play went 1-for-5, which I suppose isn’t bad, but it’s not good either. This was just a continuation of a huge issue that has plagued this team for a while now.

Special teams are absolutely destroying the Devils. In the month of December, New Jersey’s power play is converting at a dismal 14.2% clip, while their penalty kill is at a shocking 53.8% success rate. We’ve talked about a lot of issues surrounding the Devils lately, but I don’t think we’re talking enough about how much the special teams failures have torpedoed this team. Those rates above are completely unacceptable, and while it makes sense that results would drop off when key players like Jack Hughes and Brett Pesce get injured, it should not be even close to this bad.

I will be an optimist for a second and say that these rates are clearly unsustainable. There is no universe in which the Devils only kill of half of their penalties the rest of the season. Likewise, the power play will not be this anemic for long. The results should get better if only through sheer dumb luck, and once the team gets closer to something resembling fully healthy, we should hopefully see elite special teams units (or close to it) like we did last season.

All that being said, the special teams failures need to stop. Now. Not when Hughes gets back. Not when Johnny Kovacevic gets back. Now. Their status as a playoff (and hopefully championship) contender depends on it.

About Time​

For the first time since a modest three-game winning streak that wrapped around Thanksgiving (and that, fittingly, included the Sabres as the last win of that streak), the Devils have won multiple games in a row. Yes, New Jersey went almost an entire month without clearing the hilariously low bar of winning a game and then winning the next game. But credit where it’s due: the Devils went out to Vegas and beat a challenging (if slightly overrated) Golden Knights squad, then topped a scrappy and talented Mammoth side.

Now they return to the east coast and battle a team far less imposing in the Sabres. Buffalo might not be a complete pushover (we’ll get to that momentarily), but I don’t think anyone would deny that Vegas is a better team than Buffalo. Most people would probably say Utah is a superior group as well. All of that to say, New Jersey should absolutely go out and beat Buffalo today. With the team back home, Buffalo having played last night (and going all the way to a shootout), and the Devils finding ways to win against tough squads like Vegas and Utah, this feels like a game New Jersey should get two points out of. Throw in the return of Meier and possibly more reinforcements, and this is a game that I will be very disappointed with anything less than a win.

Good News/Bad News For Buffalo​

With their shootout victory last night, the Sabres have now won five straight games. They are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference, and while they’re still on the outside looking in as far as the playoff picture goes, just one more good week could vault them into the top eight in the conference. For as woebegone as the organization is, New Jersey cannot take Buffalo lightly, or the Sabres will make it six in a row.

That’s the good news. The bad news? Well, frankly the Sabres have been lucky to win one of their last five games, let alone all of them. According to Natural Stat Trick, since their winning streak began on December 9th, Buffalo has been one of the worst play-driving teams in the NHL (all numbers 5-on-5):

Corsi For%: 42.53

Scoring Chances For%: 42.78

High Danger Corsi For%: 41.67

Expected Goals For%: 42.51

Only one time over their five-game bender have they finished with an xGF% north of breakeven: December 14th at Seattle. And even that was only barely above that mark at 50.68%. The Sabres have been finding ways to win, mostly through their own goaltending getting hot or the other team’s goaltending imploding, but I think it’s fair to say they’ve been winning in spite of their process, not because of it.

This does not mean that New Jersey can take Buffalo lightly. But it does mean that while the Sabres come in raging hot, they are more vulnerable than they currently appear.

Same Old, Same Old​

So who should the Devils be watching out for this evening? The usual suspects. Tage Thompson leads the team in goals (18) and points (31). Alex Tuch is next with 29 points, and Rasmus Dahlin continues to be a machine with 27 points of his own. Both Thompson and Dahlin scored goals yesterday, so watch out for them continuing their hot streaks.

Meanwhile in net, Alex Lyon got the call last night, making 32 saves on 34 shots and standing tall in the shootout. So expect to see Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen between the pipes this evening. UPL has struggled this season, going 9-4-5 with an .884 save percentage. If the Devils get their fair share of shots on net in this game, they should hit paydirt with some regularity assuming Luukonen’s season-long form holds.

Potential Lineup​

Tonight's projected lineup against the Islanders.#LetsGoBuffalo | @newyorklottery pic.twitter.com/AxH8RPFbMr

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) December 20, 2025

Expect much the same this evening.

Your Take​

What do you make of tonight’s game? How happy are you to see Timo Meier back? Do you actually anticipate anyone else returning, or do you think that’s just a bit of a smokescreen from Keefe? What do you expect out of Buffalo? As always, thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...review-36-new-jersey-devils-vs-buffalo-sabres

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Return of the King(s)

The Devils came back home after a 2-0 mini-road trip, got surprise news about the return of an entire top 6 line – but Buffalo and our old pal Lindy Ruff had other plans, picking up their 6th win in a row, 3-1 in Newark.

This game largely came down to timely saves by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (heretofore knows as UPL – not writing that again), and another game where they Devils showed an inability to finish, and for longs stretches an inability to generate much in the way of offense. Multiple people noted that the ice looked chopped up tonight, the Sirens played a game there earlier, and you could see it in the sloppy play on both ends of the ice and Buffalo wasn’t exactly pouring it on either. It was also the tale of three distinct periods, our boys dominated the first, got bodied in the second and finished with a tilted but low event 3rd.

One of the only positives from this game was Jack is back – and he showed up almost immediately scoring a beauty at 8:51 of the first from White and Mercer. This was vintage Jack (can we say vintage about a 24 year old?), walking downhill on the strong side and ripping a shot low glove on UPL. What really makes this play is Mercer’s flash screen:

View Link

It really looked like we were about to take this game over, but as I mentioned above (foreshadowing folks), UPL had other plans as he made an outrageous save on Gritsyuk and shortly after robbed Noesen on another slot chance. A very encouraging period where we controlled shots 11-8, scoring chances 10-4 with an xGF share of 62%.

And naturally they would take the good vibes, 1st period lead, Jack/Grits/Timo returns and do absolutely nothing with it, as the second they were on their heels almost immediately after ANOTHER wasted powerplay. Quickly afterwards Buffalo snatched momentum, and during a net front scramble Norris was able to pull it out of Allen and slide it home, and we are tied 1-1 at 2:26 if the second. Keefe and co. took some time to check this one out, even burning a timeout, but all for naught as play resumed.

After a largely uninspired 2nd, Buffalo would pick up the eventual game winner as Dillon over committed on a step up leaving White alone to face a 2 on 1. Peyton Krebs did a nice job selling pass as he snuck one under Allen for a 2-1 lead at 16:05, which is where we would leave it entering the 3rd.

The 3rd was a similar uninspired slog, with some chances (I’ll tap;k about one in my notes below), and the only real sustained push the Devils got was right before Buffalo added the dagger to make it 3-1. Game over, pack it up, Isles next.

Some Scattered Thoughts​

Are the Devils the only ethical team in the Metro that loses games in regulation like real men? Philly has 7 loser points. The Caps have 5, Isles 4. Pittsburgh has 9!! We have 1. Weird, but certainly why this division is so tight.

Jesper Bratt. My god man, score a goal. How can you pull out that absolute filth in the shootout, then just have absolutely no juice in game? Just weak sauce as you try to go underneath the pad 5-hole again! Find a new shot lane buddy. He is currently on pace for 14 goals, just unacceptable. We might have to start having serious conversations about him.

Timo was an absolute beast tonight, 7 shots through 2 periods, looked like he didn’t miss a beat (the NHL site is down, and apparently every other stat related site connects to their API… so that’s all I have for him).

We seem to have found our groove again defensively at least. That is now 5 straight giving up 2 goals or less. Would be super cool if we could do two things at once and score more Han 1 or 2.

Part of that was because of Allen handling the puck, when he is active back there it just adds another layer of zone exit. He and Marky have also been good of late.

Another low event game, so a shorter recap today + the entire NHL stat universe is broken at the moment. I may layer in more info if they come back on line.

Let me know your thoughts. Bad loss, but not the end of the world – need to close out 2025 strong with two Metro games agains the Isles and Caps.

LGD

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/devils-game-recaps/64632/return-of-the-kings

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #37: New Jersey Devils vs. Buffalo Sabres

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (20-14-1) at the Buffalo Sabres (16-14-4)

The Time: 7:00 PM EST

The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN, Radio – Devils Hockey Radio

The Game Preview: Jackson had the preview today.

The Song of the Day: It’s almost Christmas, and Devils fans have gotten a huge gift in the form of Jack Hughes’s return. Today’s song of the day is a piece of Christmas metal from an unlikely source: this is Darkest Carols, Faithful Sing by Christopher Lee.

The Rules: If you have been a reader here, you already know the rules. But for the rest, a reminder: please do not swear in the comment section, and keep comments relevant to the hockey game going on. Beyond that, do not attack any other commenters, and do not ask for or pass along illegal streams on this board.

LGD!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...thread-36-new-jersey-devils-vs-buffalo-sabres

 

[New Jersey Devils]

The Devils Will Need To Make Cap Space Very Soon

The New Jersey Devils welcomed back an entire top six line in last night’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. Timo Meier returned from his personal leave, Arseny Gritsyuk returned from his undisclosed injury, and of course, Jack Hughes made his long-awaited return from his freak accident at a Chicago restaurant. Hughes even scored the first goal of the game, which was such a welcome sight, particularly since the team has been starved for goals in his absence. Unfortunately the returning trio could not help the Devils power through their current offensive malaise, as they fell 3-1 to the Sabres anyway.

As disappointing as last night’s result was, that’s not the point of this piece. Rather, today we’re going to talk about the salary cap ramifications of the Devils getting closer to full health. The NHL is a salary cap league after all, and since every dollar counts, it’s important to understand just what Tom Fitzgerald and his front office are facing once everyone is back on the ice.

The Usual Caveat​

Before we go any further, I do feel compelled to state that yes, I am fully aware that full health at any point is not a guarantee. Just because Hughes, Meier, and Gritsyuk returned last night, and Brett Pesce joined them earlier last week, does not mean injuries just magically turn off like it’s a video game. It’s possible that, for example, Nico Hischier or Jesper Bratt or Luke Hughes suffers a long-term injury before the full roster is back. If that happens, all of a sudden cap space is no longer an issue.

But for now, let’s assume (I know, big assumption) that New Jersey will be fully healthy for at least a little while sometime this season. In that case, a move to make cap space will be mandatory. So we’ll explore those options today.

The Current Cap Situation​

Let’s start with what New Jersey’s cap sheet actually looks like. According to the indispensable PuckPedia, as of Sunday night, the Devils have $12,500 in cap space. Yes, really. The Devils are about as close to the cap ceiling as one could possibly be without going over it. They are currently rolling with an active roster of 14 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders.

Meanwhile the following players are currently on Injured Reserve (an asterisk next to their name indicates a player on Long Term Injured Reserve):

• Evgenii Dadonov* ($1m cap hit)
• Zack MacEwen ($775K)
• Johnny Kovacevic* ($4m)
• Simon Nemec ($918,333)

Add that all up and you get a little over $6.5m worth of cap hits. Now, you might look at those figures and assume the Devils will need to clear that much space. But keep in mind that once some of these players return, their replacements will either be sent down or waived. We’re talking players like Angus Crookshank, Juho Lammikko, Colton White, and Dennis Cholowski. All of those players are making the league minimum of $775K, except for Lammikko who’s slightly above that at $800K. So that means that those cap hits will be off the books when it’s time to welcome back some of the regulars.

Kovacevic Is The Key​

As the Devils welcome back most of their big guns, there is really only one more major salary remaining on IR: Johnny Kovacevic. As we can see in the previous section, Kovacevic’s cap hit alone is more than the other three players on IR combined. We don’t yet know when he is expected back, other than the purposely vague timeline of “sometime in 2026” (although Kovacevic was spotted skating yesterday, which is a sign he’s getting close). But when he does come back, something has to give.

New Jersey can ice a cap-compliant roster right now, but Kovacevic changes everything. According to PuckPedia, the Devils would be just north of $5m over the cap if everyone was healthy. Sending down a Crookshank or a Cholowski wouldn’t get the team under the cap, to say nothing of the huge logjam that would be created on the blue line. And it’s against NHL rules to keep a healthy player on IR, meaning the Devils can’t just stash Kovacevic there indefinitely. Kovacevic himself wouldn’t stand for that anyway, nor should he.

The bottom line is, a move needs to be made in order to get New Jersey under the cap once Kovacevic is back. Again, injuries might occur between then and now, I understand that. But injuries are unpredictable, so it’s not a good idea to bank on them happening. And it’s not like we should be wishing for injuries in the first place. So what can New Jersey do to create cap room? There are a few options.

Ondrej Palat & Dougie Hamilton​

Let’s start with the obvious ones. Palat and Hamilton have been popular cap dump targets among Devils fans for a while now. When the Quinn Hughes sweepstakes was reaching its climax, they were the two names that kept popping up as players Fitzgerald was looking to send away to make room for the eldest Hughes brother.

After New Jersey lost the battle for Hughes, reporters went looking for answers on whether Palat or Hamilton was approached about waiving their no-trade clauses. Based on the reporting, it seems as though Hamilton was, but Palat wasn’t. Then again, Palat could just be lying, which is fine I suppose. But assuming he’s telling the truth, then it appears Hamilton was the one Fitzgerald was trying to move to make cap space. In a way that does make sense considering New Jersey has too many right-handed defensemen when fully healthy. But it’s still odd to me that Fitzgerald wouldn’t even consider moving Palat.

In any case, these two veterans have been in the news a lot lately. Speculation around them being traded spiked over the summer, and now it’s happening again. Fitzgerald’s obsession with giving any player who signs a contract with him some form of no-move clause is really coming back to bite him here if the goal is to trade Hamilton or Palat. But it’s not impossible, and maybe we see one of them head out of town soon. And if they do, all of a sudden the Devils have all the cap space they need.

Stefan Noesen​

Here’s an under-the-radar cap dump candidate. Noesen is signed through 2026-27, with a cap hit of $2.75m. That’s not a huge number obviously, but it’s not nothing. And while he does provide value I think it’s safe to say he’s one of the more replaceable trade candidates on the roster.

Noesen has a 10-team no-trade clause this season (it turns into a seven-team no-trade clause next year), so it would be much easier to move him than Palat or Hamilton. I’m sure of the 22 teams that he cannot block a trade to, one of them would want him. What could New Jersey get back in return? Probably a late round pick in a draft two to three years away. But the return isn’t the point of trading Noesen. The point would be to clear his salary and, presumably, replace him with a forward that’s making league-minimum or close to it. Doing so would net the Devils about $2m in cap space.

Jonas Siegenthaler​

Siegenthaler has had an up-and-down tenure with the Devils. After coming over at the trade deadline during the Covid-shortened 2021 season, Siegenthaler put together an elite defensive season in 2021-22. He was good for stretches and mediocre for stretches in 2022-23, straight up bad in 2023-24, back to elite defensively in 2024-25, and he’s back to struggling again this season.

So with all that being the case, perhaps Fitzgerald is sick of riding the Siegenthaler roller coaster and looks to ship him out. Siegenthaler has a cap hit of $3.4m, and he’s signed through 2027-28. Much like Noesen, Siegenthaler has a 10-team no-trade list, meaning there are 22 potential suitors to choose from. I have to imagine Siegenthaler has value to a lot of clubs around the league, so if Fitzgerald really wanted to, I think he could easily find a new home for him. Heck, New Jersey might even be able to get something halfway decent for him, like a third or fourth round pick.

The one hang-up here is that Kovacevic really seemed to bring out the best in Siegenthaler last year. Those two combined to form one of the league’s premier shutdown pairs, and although they provided next to no offense, their defensive games were so good that they were extremely valuable players regardless of the lack of offense. So do you really want to send Siegenthaler away when you could potentially reunite an elite defensive pair once Kovacevic returns? It’s a question Fitzgerald might have to answer soon.

Dawson Mercer & Cody Glass​

Now we’re getting into cutting off your nose to spite your face territory in my opinion. The only other players on the roster that are at least halfway realistic to trade in order to make cap space are Mercer and Glass. Neither of them have any sort of no-move protection, and both of them make enough money ($4m cap hit for Mercer, $2.5m cap hit for Glass) that sending them elsewhere could provide reasonable cap relief. Especially Mercer, whose cap hit matches Kovacevic’s on the dot.

But are the Devils really in a position to move either of these players? The offense is so desperate for goals that it feels impossible to move players who have some semblance of offensive skill. Mercer has really cooled off since his hot start, but he remains valuable offensively. Glass is more of a defensive forward, but he’s shown a goal-scoring touch this season, especially when playing with Connor Brown. New Jersey could theoretically move these players easily to create cap space, but I feel like it would do more harm than good to ship them out.

Final Thoughts And Your Take​

Unfortunately, these are pretty much the only options as far as creating cap space goes. Every other player on the roster is either too valuable to trade, or has extensive no-move protection. Fitzgerald made quite a mess for himself, and now he’s suffering the consequences for it.

Johnny Kovacevic will be back soon, and assuming no more major injuries happen before he returns, a move literally has to be made in order for the Devils to be cap-compliant. Palat and Hamilton are the obvious choices, Noesen and Siegenthaler are the dark horses, and Mercer and Glass are the desperation moves. No option is easy, and all of them have their pros and cons. But as the team gets healthier, something must be done. Soon.

What do you make of the Devils’ current cap situation? What do you think ultimately happens as far as cap moves? Who is your top preference to move out? As always, thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...-devils-will-need-to-make-cap-space-very-soon

 

[New Jersey Devils]

New Jersey Devils Prospect Update: Squires Scores First Goal of the Season as Malek and the Comets Win in Shootout

The Comets have been playing better as of late, but still have a long way to go to crawl out of the basement.

Comets Win​

The Comets won 3-2 in a shootout victory over the Wilkes-Barre Penguins on Saturday thanks to a 31 save effort by goaltender Jakub Malek. Wingers Cam Squires and Josh Filmon both scored their first AHL goals of the season for the Comets. Defenseman Seamus Casey picked up his 11th assist and winger Lenni Hameenaho earned first star honors with the shootout victory goal.

JAKUB MALEK IS YOUR SHOOTOUT HERO pic.twitter.com/5Fqdf2USAz

— Utica Comets (@UticaComets) December 21, 2025

Jakub Malek has been excellent in net since his recall from Adirondack.

The win came after a 4-2 loss to the Penguins Friday night. Nico Daws earned the loss in that one, stopping 20 of 23. Both Comets goals would be scored on special teams by Kyle Criscuolo and assisted by Lenni Hameenaho, one short-handed and the other on the power play with another secondary assist by defender Seamus Casey. After a ten game adjustment to the league, Lenni Hameenaho has been the Comets best player recently with 11 points in his last 15 games, putting him one point behind Xavier Parent and Seamus Casey for the team lead of 12. Kris Criscuolo has also been playing well ever since he moved up to the top center position and seems to have found some chemistry with Hameenaho. Forward Cam Squires has also had a terrific turnaround after starting the season with Adirondack and has found his game recently, even suiting up on the top line at times. Hopefully, that will all continue in the new year.

Around the Pool​

The pool is mostly frozen for the holidays with many leagues not returning until January, and not much happening of note in the others. So, I’ll just take this time to wish all our dear readers a blessed, healthy, and joyous celebration and a wonderful New Year.

Your Take​

Post your comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/p...eason-as-malek-and-the-comets-win-in-shootout

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Late Goal, Inept Offense Doom Devils In 2-1 Loss To Islanders

The lack of offense from this team is completely unacceptable.

The New Jersey Devils lost 2-1 to the New York Islanders on Long Island tonight. The game was tied 1-1 until about a minute left in the third period, until Adam Pelech scored a backbreaking goal off a broken play to snatch at least a point away from the Devils. It was a devastating goal to allow, one that could come back to haunt New Jersey by the end of the season.

Tonight marked the fifth straight game in which the Devils scored two goals or fewer. Prior to this stretch, the offense was performing well, with exactly four goals scored in three consecutive games. Though honestly, calling that “performing well” feels generous. I don’t think anyone would say that four goals is a notable offensive output, but for this team, a team that has scored more than four goals just three whole times this season, it feels like a bonanza. Offensive funks are the norm for the Devils this season, and they’re right in the thick of one of their malaises right now.

But back to this game. If you can believe it, tonight’s contest actually started off pretty well. Brett Pesce scored his first goal of the season late in the first period to give the Devils a 1-0 lead. The forecheck, led by Timo Meier and Nico Hischier, really made that goal happen, and Pesce made sure their efforts were rewarded. That goal was part of a great opening 20 minutes, where the Devils outshot the Islanders 15-7 and registered a 5-on-5 Expected Goals For% of about 64%.

The second period was a different story. We’ll delve into some numbers later on, but second period have not been kind to the Devils lately. It sunk them in their last game against the Sabres, and while it wasn’t the entire difference tonight, it certainly played a big part. The Islanders outshot the Devils 14-6 in the middle frame, and New Jersey was caved in to the tune of a 5-on-5 xGF% of around 18%. For as poor as they were playing though, Jacob Markstrom was keeping them in this game. He looked dialed in from the word “Go” tonight, with big saves on rush chances, cycle chances, and broken plays. New York deserved to find the equalizer with how thoroughly they were dominating New Jersey in the second period, but Markstrom was having none of it.

Which is what made it so shocking when Markstrom served up the tying goal on a silver platter:

Oh no, Jacob Markstrom pic.twitter.com/fvwip6t1qB

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 24, 2025

I don’t think there’s any other explanation here other than Markstrom having a gigantic brain cramp. That, coupled with a hilariously lucky bounce for Simon Holmstrom, added up to a 1-1 game. It was an egregiously bad play, which reminded me of this gem from Mackenzie Blackwood. Markstrom was playing such a good game up to that point, but his gaffe cost the Devils the lead.

The third period was much better for New Jersey, though I would argue they didn’t truly get going until about halfway through the frame. That’s when the Hischier line put together a great shift, highlighted by a Dawson Mercer backhand chance right in front. It was followed up by the Luke Glendening (yes, really) generating two quality looks, one off the rush, and one off a nice pass from Luke Hughes to the front of the net. The Devils carried play until the Islanders broke the puck out of their zone with about 90 seconds left in regulation. That’s when Holmstrom missed on a one-time chance and the puck took a perfect carom to an activating Pelech, who picked the corner on a slapper to give the Isles their first lead of the night. New Jersey got a few halfway decent looks with the net pulled in the final minute, but no true big time chances, and they left UBS Arena emptyhanded.

Exactly one year ago today, the vibes were about as high as they could possibly be around this team. On a Monday afternoon at The Rock, the Devils absolutely demolished the New York Rangers, 5-0. That win was part of a larger run in which New Jersey’s defense was absolutely smothering teams, not even allowing 20 shots on goal for a long string of games. They were 23-11-3 after that win and riding high into the Christmas break. Fast forward one year later, and the vibes are quite low. To be fair to the Devils, they will enter the holiday pause with a record of 20-16-1, which is far from an awful record. Just one good week can theoretically get them right back near the top of the Eastern Conference standings, and with the talent this team has at its disposal, one good week seems well within their capabilities.

The problem is, despite all the talent this now mostly-healthy team has, they still can’t get out of their own way. The offense has been a huge problem all season long, and I really don’t think you can just pin the struggles on getting goalie’d every night. Yes, David Rittich was quite good this evening, but New Jersey also didn’t test him anywhere close to as much as they should have. And when they did test him, they once again could not finish chances to save their lives. Jack Hughes and Connor Brown each had breakaways tonight, and neither scored. Jesper Bratt – he of the one goal in his last 23 games – had a golden opportunity when he absolutely toasted Matthew Schaefer and hooked around Rittich in the second period. But Bratt couldn’t pull the trigger on a shot, letting another prime opportunity go to waste. Everyone else was just as inept as them when it came to actually burying a shot as well. And that doesn’t even count the myriad times New Jersey couldn’t even hit the net on their shot (looking at you, Luke Hughes).

I’ll try to be optimistic for a second: I do believe there is more finishing talent on this team than the results would indicate. My guess is that the Devils are genuinely experiencing some really nasty negative variance when it comes to their shooting luck, and it should even out soon. That being said, we are now up to roughly a full calendar year since this team looked anything approaching dangerous offensively. Last season, it really did seem like the offense died after Christmas, and through the first half of this season, a lot of the personnel has changed, but the results haven’t.

I don’t know what needs to be done, but I do know that something, anything needs to be done. The New Jersey Devils lost again tonight, and for the millionth time this season, it was their pathetic offense that was mostly to blame.

The Game Stats: The NHL.com Game Summary | The NHL.com Event Summary | The NHL.com Play by Play Log | The NHL.com Shot Summary | The Natural Stat Trick Game Stats

The Game Highlights: Courtesy of NHL.com

Rounding Into Form​

For a while this season, it feels like the offense (and defense) were actually doing fine, but the goaltending was costing New Jersey games. This mostly stemmed from Jacob Markstrom taking a huge step back, whether that be from injury or age-related decline.

But credit where it’s due: Markstrom has been much better lately. He obviously had that inexcusable mistake on the tying goal, but the netminder was actually minding his net, he was rock solid. Markstrom made 23 saves on 25 shots (which was really 23 saves on 24 shots if you exclude the Holmstrom debacle), and according to Natural Stat Trick, he saved 1.93 Goals Above Expected.

We need to see it over a larger sample size of course, but it does appear as if Markstrom is returning to being a top-end goalie once more. If he can keep this up, the offense should find more finishing luck soon, and the Devils could maybe, just maybe, go on another run.

Fourth Line Woes​

I mentioned Luke Glendening registering a pair of quality chances earlier on, and he deserves credit for that. The problem is, that’s about all Glendening deserves credit for tonight, as his line was buried in the run of play once again.

The fourth line of Glendening, Paul Cotter, and Stefan Noesen played 6:10 together at 5-on-5. In that time, they were out-attempted 12-3, outshot 3-5, and registered a terrible xGF% of 43%. It’s just another in a long line of horrific performances from New Jersey’s fourth line this season.

It all starts with Glendening on that fourth line. I’m sorry, perhaps he’s a great guy, but Glendening cannot be a regular skater anymore. It was a nice story with him winning a job on a PTO in camp, but since the regular season has started he has been one of the absolute worst skaters in the entire league. According to Hockey Stat Cards, among players with 20 games played, Glendening has the 15th-worst average Game Score (-0.30) in the NHL, and the third-worst among forwards. If you’re not a believer in advanced analytics, how does three points (all assists) in 36 games sound to you? Because that is Glendening’s stat line this season.

Considering Glendening brings absolutely nothing to the table except for maybe a little penalty killing utility, and considering he also seems to be dragging everyone else around him down like an anchor tied to a paper crane, I think it’s past time to cut him loose. Who do you replace him with? It doesn’t matter, because it could not possibly get any worse than him.

Maddening Middle Frames​

We also touched on how second periods have not been the Devils’ friend recently, and tonight was no exception. I already gave you the final numbers during the second period for this evening’s contest, and during the MSG broadcast, they showed a graphic that displayed how bad it’s been lately. In their win over Utah last Friday night, the Devils were outshot a startling 18-6 (though miraculously they outscored the Mammoth 1-0). In their most recent contest against the Sabres on Sunday, they were outshot 12-6 and outscored 2-0. And tonight they were outshot 14-6 and outscored 1-0, to go along with the abysmal underlying numbers.

New Jersey was actually a very strong second period team last season, but they’ve taken a complete nosedive in middle frames lately. I don’t know what needs to change, but something needs to happen to make this team play better after the first 20 minutes.

Metropolitan Struggles Continue​

With their regulation loss tonight, the Devils fell to 3-5-1 against the Metropolitan Division this season. New Jersey has played nine games against division opponents thus far. They have lost their last four games against Metro opponents, with their last win coming all the way back on November 15 against the Capitals.

To make matters worse, two of the Devils’ three wins against Metro rivals have come post-regulation (one against the Penguins, one against the Capitals). Meaning in their nine division games so far, they have allowed their opponents to collect at least a point in eight of them. The only exception was their 3-2 win over Columbus on October 13, which is fitting considering the Blue Jackets are the only Metropolitan Division team with a worse intra-division record than New Jersey. The Devils have allowed opponents to collect 14 of a possible 18 points against them. That .778 points percentage translates to an 82-game pace of approximately 128 points. Basically, New Jersey is making every Metro opponent look like the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens.

If the Devils are going to make the postseason, this needs to change. Now. Being mediocre against your own division is bad enough, but the Devils aren’t even mediocre against the Metro thus far. They’re much, much worse. Their next crack at actually winning a game against a division opponent comes immediately out of the break, and I strongly suggest New Jersey takes advantage of that opportunity.

Next Time Out​

On the other side of the Christmas break, the Devils are back in action on Saturday when they host the Washington Capitals. Puck drop from the Prudential Center is scheduled for 7:00pm.

Your Take​

What did you make of tonight’s game? How concerned are you with the offense? Are you encouraged with what you’ve seen out of the goaltending lately? What do you think needs to change for this team to start winning games consistently again? As always, thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...-offense-doom-devils-in-2-1-loss-to-islanders

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #37: New Jersey Devils at New York Islanders

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (20-15-1) at the New York Islanders (19-13-4)

The Time: 7:00 PM EST

The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN 2, Radio – Devils Hockey Radio

The Game Preview: I had the preview today.

The Song of the Day: Continuing the theme from last gamethread, here’s Christopher Lee’s Christmas metal song, “Jingle Hell.” Give them hell, Devils.

The Rules: If you have been a reader here, you already know the rules. But for the rest, a reminder: please do not swear in the comment section, and keep comments relevant to the hockey game going on. Beyond that, do not attack any other commenters, and do not ask for or pass along illegal streams on this board.

LGD!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...ad-37-new-jersey-devils-at-new-york-islanders

 

[New Jersey Devils]

I Don’t Want to See Devils Players At The Olympics

Over the next week or so, expect the various nations participating in the 2026 Olympic games to announce their rosters for the men’s hockey tournament.

It’s tough to click around wherever you consume your hockey media, whether its YouTube, The Athletic, Twitter, ESPN, NHL.com, or wherever it is and not see projected rosters from various content creators. And I get all that. It’s fairly easy content to create, it stirs up debate, which results in engagement, which is the endgame when it comes to content creation. We all want eyeballs on our content. And the fact of the matter is that there are many hockey fans who are indeed excited about the upcoming Olympic games, the first of which will feature active NHL players since 2014.

I am not one of those fans.

I might be in the minority with this opinion, but I don’t really care about Olympic hockey (or international hockey such as the Worlds or any other IIHF-sanctioned event). I’m a Devils fan, first and foremost. I root for the laundry at the end of the day, and I care about the players wearing said laundry. I root for the red, white, and black that the Devils wear instead of the red, white, and blue. I’m unapologetic about it as that’s simply how I feel. I don’t and never have had that same sense of attachment to Team USA hockey, even though I’m an American, as I do the Devils, who I have invested decades of fandom into.

Perhaps I’d feel differently if in my formative years, the Devils best players were American, but they weren’t as Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, and Martin Brodeur were fixtures on the Canadian national teams. It’s not that the Devils didn’t have American representation on the international scene, as Brian Gionta, Brian Rafalski, and Zach Parise would go on to represent the US. But at the end of the day, I view the Olympics as an exhibition and cheering for national pride. I don’t root against the US team, but I also don’t have that same passion for the American national team as I do for the Devils. I don’t think that makes me un-American so much as that’s just how I view my sports fandom. I don’t care if the Americans win a gold medal. I do care if the Devils win the Stanley Cup. One means far more to me than the other, and its as simple as that. Chris and the other writers on this site may feel differently. You may feel differently. That’s fine. We’re all entitled to our opinion.

I say all of that to say that I’m dreading the upcoming Olympic break and I wish as many Devils players as possible would simply stay home, rest up, and not participate.

I’m not naive. I know how much the Olympics means to the players themselves. NHL players haven’t been to the Olympics since 2014, so this is the first time most NHL players will get the opportunity to play in the Olympics. I understand that that trumps what I want as a fan.

My dread doesn’t change the fact that the Devils will be well-represented at the Olympics. Jack Hughes will make Team USA. Jesper Bratt and Jacob Markstrom will likely represent Team Sweden. Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Jonas Siegenthaler have already been named to the Swiss team. Ondrej Palat (Czechia) and Simon Nemec (Slovakia) will probably make their respective teams, and its possible players like Brett Pesce are on the short-list of “be ready” call ups just in case something happens. It is what it is. I don’t think the players should be vilified for wanting to represent their country or play in this tournament when this is something a lot of them have dreamed about doing ever since they put on skates for the first time.

It doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to be holding my breath every time our players take the ice in what I feel are meaningless games. Just like I did one year ago at Four Nations, where fortunately, the Devils who participated in that made it through the games relatively unscathed.

The difference is that this time, the games will be on a rink that is too small and in an arena that may or may not be finished. The clownshow that has been the buildup to these Olympic games would be reason enough for me to want to pull the plug on this, and I hope that the higher-ups at the NHL and/or the NHLPA give this serious consideration if there is even so much as a hint that this might not be a good idea or would compromise player safety.

I’m not expecting it.

Hockey is a physical game and that injury risk will always be there, and as we’ve already seen with the Devils this season, there’s a lot of randomness to this. But I certainly remember John Tavares’s season coming to an end due to a torn MCL at the Sochi games. I remember Dominik Hasek’s groin injury in Turin in 2006 ultimately costing a really good Ottawa Senators team a chance at a Stanley Cup that season. I’m also old enough to remember examples in other sports of players playing for the national team only to suffer a season-ending injury that derails the hopes of their pro team. You think the New York Mets were thrilled going 75-87 in part because Edwin Diaz hurt his knee celebrating a win during the World Baseball Classic, ending his season before it even began. I get players can get hurt in any game, in any setting, in any sanctioned league, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it while sitting on my couch watching the games, waiving a miniature American flag and saying ‘go team’ for a team I’m not all that invested in in the first place.

I’m not trying to carry water for the billionaires who own NHL teams, but they’re the ones signing the checks for their players to play in the NHL. The NHL teams are the ones assuming the risks and getting none of the rewards for letting the players play, which is part of the reason why the players haven’t been to the last few Olympics. Given my sports allegiance is to the Devils and not Team USA, I’m going to empathize with the NHL teams on this particular topic.

Now, maybe this is all much ado about nothing. Maybe the Devils players who do go are ultimately fine once they get back and we’ll forget all about this as the Devils prepare for the stretch run.

I just know that I don’t need to see Jack Hughes take another hard hit into the boards in a game where he’s not even wearing a Devils sweater. I don’t need to see Nico Hischier take an extra whack on the hands after a faceoff. I don’t need to see Pesce or Siegenthaler lay out to block a shot. Call it babying the players (who are well aware of the physical risks when they suit up for a game) if you are so inclined. I don’t really care.

I will be annoyed if a Devils player suffers a major injury in this tournament. Which is why I’d ultimately rather skip the process entirely. Unfortunately, I’m not going to get what I want here, which leaves me with preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...nt-want-to-see-devils-players-at-the-olympics

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Should the New Jersey Devils Coaches be Worried About Their Job Security?

The New Jersey Devils just aren’t good enough right now.

Maybe that’s stating the obvious with the team falling out of a playoff spot and looking listless even over the last two games where they had a number of players return to the lineup. Yet at the same time it has to be said. With the amount of talented players on this team, being middling right now isn’t going to cut it. This was a team that had high expectations for themselves. A team that many pundits saw battling Carolina for the top of the division by season’s end. Yet right now, the Devils have to be more concerned about an early season’s end than battling Carolina for the division crown.

Which leads me to ask, should the New Jersey Devils coaches be concerned about their spots? Yes, players and responsible for playing and the general manager (who should probably also be worried about his job) is responsible for putting the team together. But the coaches are responsible for getting the most out of the personnel they have available to them, and you could argue that right now, they’re not doing that. Injuries have adversely impacted this team this season, but I’d argue that there were games with fill in players where the team looked better than in games where they were at full health.

Sheldone Keefe has a reputation as a successful head coach, but he’s not getting the results in Jersey that he did in Toronto. You could argue that he doesn’t have the same firepower he had in Toronto, but the current defense he’s working with should arguably be better than that during his tenure with the Leafs. Keefe should be held to the fire though mainly for his ridiculous lineup decisions. I get his lineup was more limited and he had to play certain players because of how many guys were out injured. Yet there were still concerning decisions being made, as I previously aired my grievances with. If Keefe consolidates all of his firepower into one line, while still playing Ondrej Palat on the second line, while there are players performing better in the Bottom 6 receiving fewer minutes, then I do not know if he is the correct coach to be leading this team.

The assistants I feel like I generally know less about, partly because they never seem to be focused on in most forms of Devils media. From what I know and have seen, I was never really a fan of the Jeremy Colliton hiring; he did well with AHL teams, but his time with Chicago prior to them officially rebuilding wasn’t great. Meanwhile Brad Shaw’s bio on the team website says he has “an extensive coaching resume” yet there’s very little listed statistically which always had me a bit concerned. Sergei Brylin maybe has a bit more leeway due to him being a great Devil for so many years coupled with AHL coaching success, but he might even be in danger if the Devils continue to simply tread water. The other part of why I feel like I know less of the assistants is that none of them mention specifically which parts of the team that each coach works with. Sure, the organization knows, but I think this is really bad for transparency because all the assistants get lumped together when maybe only one or two of them need to be replaced with a stronger coach.

Speaking of needing to be replaced, myself and others have written about Dave Rogalski before. The one assistant whose role is clearly define, he oversees goaltending, which has been the most inconsistent position for the Devils for quite some time now. He’s now in his sixth season with the team and is the longest tenured coach in the organization. And all I have left to say is how? This is a coach that has seen zero goaltenders develop or get better while he’s been here. We’ve seen a number of goalies leave and perform better outside of New Jersey; heck, Mackenzie Blackwood looks great for Colorado right now, but he even looked better getting shelled on a bad San Jose Sharks team in 2023-24 than he did the previous two seasons that he was stuck with Rogalski! Maybe literally any other goalie coach should be tried, and maybe it would help Jacob Markstrom to at least be league average again. I see no risk in making this change…which honestly should have probably been made a couple of seasons ago.

While the players bear part of the blame for the lack of results so far this season, it doesn’t mean the people who are supposed to be responsible for getting them ready are absolved. Coaches are also responsible for deploying players, which again has been problematic at times. If Tom Fitzgerald is worried about his job, or if he doesn’t want to have to worry, maybe it’s time to bring in at least one new coach (hint: maybe start with goaltending) to get better results. The New Jersey Devils are a franchise who in the past fired a coach while the team was doing well to make sure they got the results they needed. Fitz needs to remember the team’s history and identity if he wants to get everything back on the right path.

Because if he doesn’t, maybe it’s him and the coaches that all go out the door.

What are your thoughts on the job security of the Devils’ coaches; how would you rate the coaching staff overall? Who should be replaced in your eyes and why is it Rogalski? Is it Tom Fitzgerald who you believe should be more worried about his job? Are there any coaches available that you would prefer over who the Devils currently have? Leave any and all comments down below and thanks as always for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...s-coaches-be-worried-about-their-job-security

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 12/24/25: Snakebitten Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

A back-breaking, late third-period goal for the Islanders and another rough offensive night for the Devils led to a 2-1 New Jersey loss. This isn’t fun. [Devils NHL]

“Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier aren’t scoring enough goals, and it’s causing the New Jersey Devils’ offense to sputter.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

“Whether snake bitten in the case of Hischier and Bratt or simply underperforming offensively in the case of Hamilton, New Jersey will need an offensive shakeup from their top guys one way or the other.” A look at what the Devils need this holiday season: [New Jersey Hockey Now]

“While Dougie hasn’t been nearly as bad as the perception around him has been — I still believe he is one of the better defensemen on the roster — he certainly isn’t playing up to the caliber of play he was in prior seasons.” [Devils’ Advocates]

Hockey Links​

Flower returns?

Probably not surprising but hearing that some teams have checked in on Marc-Andre Fleury to see if there’s any chance at all he would consider playing again. Again not surprised teams with goalie needs would want to check on it.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 23, 2025

Regarding Marc-Andre Fleury talk:
– As @PierreVLeBrun said, teams have kicked the tires.
– I’ve heard he’s open to the right opportunity for a comeback.
– Obviously, @EdmontonOilers are the team to watch here, especially after the Jarry trade, an ex-teammate of MAF’s in PIT. pic.twitter.com/Ks8bB7gC8Y

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) December 23, 2025

“The numbers are almost too low to be believed. Auston Matthews, the NHL’s leading goal scorer since he entered the league in 2016, isn’t scoring anymore. Thirty-five games into the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs captain sits tied for 29th in goals per game and 97th in points per game, with only 14 goals, nine assists and 23 points in 30 games.” What’s wrong with Auston Matthews? [The Athletic ($)]

“Is Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby a top-five all-time NHL legend alongside Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux and Gordie Howe?” [The Hockey News]

“It’s beginning to look a lot like hockey at loanDepot park. The dasher boards, glass, benches and penalty boxes are all up in preparation for the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic at the home of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins.” [NHL.com]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...s-in-the-details-12-24-25-snakebitten-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2026 IIHF World Juniors Championships: Days 1-2 Open Post and Gamesthread

Good morning and Happy Boxing Day, Devils fans and hockey fans alike. One of the best hockey tournaments is getting underway once more, and it starts with some solid matchups. It is the World Juniors Championships once more, and it will run from today, December 26, to Monday, January 5. Today, we have some group stage action, which will run through New Year’s Eve.

December 26​

Group A Matchup #1: Sweden vs. Slovakia
The Time: 1:00 PM EST
The Spot: Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN1/3, NHL Network, Fubo

Group B Matchup #1: Denmark vs. Finland
The Time: 3:30 PM EST
The Spot: 3M Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN1/4, NHL Network, Fubo

Group A Matchup #2: USA vs. Germany
The Time: 6:00 PM EST
The Spot: Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN1/3, NHL Network, Fubo

Group B Matchup #2: Canada vs. Czechia
The Time: 8:30 PM EST
The Spot: 3M Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN2, NHL Network, Fubo

December 27​

Group A Matchup #1: Slovakia vs. Germany
The Time: 2:00 PM EST
The Spot: Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN3, NHL Network, Fubo

Group B Matchup #1: Canada vs. Latvia
The Time: 3:30 PM EST
The Spot: 3M Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN1/4, NHL Network, Fubo

Group A Matchup #2: USA vs. Switzerland
The Time: 6:00 PM EST
The Spot: Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN3, NHL Network, Fubo

Group B Matchup #2: Denmark vs. Czechia
The Time: 8:30 PM EST
The Spot: 3M Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN1/3, NHL Network, Fubo

The Rosters​

Please see the following hyperlinks for each roster for qualified teams. Please note that not all teams have posted their rosters on their official sites. Teams have been ordered by their 2025 finish.

Team USA — 2025 Gold

Team Finland — 2025 Silver

Team Czechia — 2025 Bronze

Team Sweden — 2025 HM

Team Canada

Team Switzerland

Team Slovakia

Team Latvia

Team Germany

Team Denmark

Best of luck to all the young hockey players trying to show their best game on the big stage.

Your Thoughts​

What do you think of these first two days of World Juniors hockey? Will you be watching? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and feel free to treat this post like a gamethread when the times come.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/i...mpionships-days-1-2-open-post-and-gamesthread

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 12/26/25: Alarms Bells Edition

Let’s see your Devils Christmas haul! Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

A bright spot in a disappointing season so far:

I mean, this is just bonkers. The #NJDevils have a legitimate stud in Arseny Gritsyuk. pic.twitter.com/e8PiK1sZ2b

— JP Gambatese (@jp_gambatese) December 25, 2025

“It’s been nearly a full calendar year with middling to bad five-on-five offensive results for the Devils, and that should raise alarm bells about where this team is headed.” [Devils on the Rush]

Hockey Links​

“The needs of NHL teams will surely evolve in the lead-up to the March 6 trade deadline, and which teams are buyers and sellers probably will as well. However, with the league’s holiday roster freeze now in place, it’s a good time to try to find some early fits. With that in mind, and with an eye on our latest NHL trade big board, let’s play matchmaker.” [The Athletic ($)]

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year … the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship has arrived. The best players under 20, who are not in the NHL, will play in the annual holiday tournament beginning Friday through Jan. 5 in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. It’s a chance for draft-eligible players such as Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg and Juho Piiparinen to make an impression against their international peers, and for drafted prospects to show their development. The U.S. is looking to three-peat on home soil, Canada is looking to get back on track, Denmark wants to avoid relegation, and many other teams have medal hopes.” [ESPN]

A look at 10 of the top draft prospects at the World Juniors: [Daily Faceoff]

“The NHL resumes play following its holiday break with 13 games on Saturday. That begins a busy six-week stretch in the hockey world leading up to Feb. 6-24 break for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Here are 10 things to watch for between now and then.” [NHL.com]

“Members of the Professional Hockey Players’ Association are on the verge of staging a strike in the ECHL if the union and the league cannot come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. The PHPA announced Monday that its ECHL membership has served a strike notice that would be effective Friday, when play is scheduled to resume following the holiday break. Players voted Friday to authorize their bargaining committee to call for a strike, executive director Brian Ramsay said Monday.” [Associated Press]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...-in-the-details-12-26-25-alarms-bells-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #38: New Jersey Devils vs. Washington Capitals

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (20-16-1) vs. Washington Capitals (19-13-5)

The Time: 7:00pm ET

The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN2, Radio — Devils Radio Network

The Game Preview: Jackson wrote an extensive preview this morning.

The Rules: If you have been a reader here, you already know the rules. But for the rest, a reminder: please do not swear in the comment section, and keep comments relevant to the hockey game going on. Beyond that, do not attack any other commenters, and do not ask for or pass along illegal streams on this board.

LGD!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...d-38-new-jersey-devils-vs-washington-capitals