RSS Devils Team Notes

[New Jersey Devils]

Game Preview #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: MSGSN2, Devils Radio Network

Last Devils Game​

In their final game before the Christmas break on Tuesday, the Devils lost to the Islanders 2-1 on Long Island. Brett Pesce had New Jersey’s lone goal, Jacob Markstrom was excellent except for one major gaffe, and the Devils allowed a goal around the 59-minute mark to allow their division rival to sneak away with a regulation win.

Last Capitals Game​

Washington was also in action on Tuesday, and they got boat-raced by the New York Rangers, 7-3.

Last Devils-Capitals Game​

Back on November 15, the New Jersey Devils played their first game after Jack Hughes’ freak injury in Chicago. It was a 3-2 shootout victory against the Capitals, in which Simon Nemec scored the winner in the skills competition to give New Jersey the extra point.

Reevaluating The Standings​

Now that the Christmas break is over, it seems like a good time to take stock of where the Devils rank in both the division and conference standings.

Entering tonight’s game, New Jersey is sixth in the Metropolitan with 41 points, ahead of only the Pittsburgh Penguins (39) and Columbus Blue Jackets (36). Things are slightly better when going by points percentage, as that pushes the Devils ahead of the New York Rangers, who have one more point in two more games played. As far as the Eastern Conference standings go, the Devils are one point out of a playoff spot, though the team holding the second wild card slot right now, the Florida Panthers, has played one fewer game than New Jersey.

What’s frustrating is that for all of the Devils’ struggles, they are tied for the third-most wins in the conference (20), behind only the Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings, who have 22 victories each. Granted, they are tied with five other teams, but it does go to show that things could be worse. The problem lies in the loser point. New Jersey only has one loser point thus far, tied for the fewest in the East with Boston. Tonight’s opponent, Washington, has one fewer win than New Jersey (in the same amount of games played), but two more loser points, so they enter tonight’s contest with two more points than the Devils. The Rangers, Senators, and Islanders are all teams that are ahead of New Jersey in the standings despite having fewer wins, all thanks to having more loser points (4, 5, and 7 respectively).

“Losing better” feels like such an odd thing to want your team to do, but that’s how Gary Bettman has set up his league. So here I am begging for the Devils to lose more games past 60 minutes. Or they could just, you know, actually win games too. That would help.

Metro Malaise​

Speaking of the standings, the Devils are out of a playoff spot at the moment thanks in large part to their struggles against their own division. Entering tonight’s game, New Jersey is a pathetic 3-5-1 against Metropolitan Division teams. They have lost their last four in-division contests, with their last win actually being the last time they met the Capitals on November 15. When you go almost a month-and-a-half between division wins, you have a serious problem on your hands.

As if this weren’t enough, of the Devils’ three wins against the Metro, only one of them has come in regulation: October 13 against the Blue Jackets. The Devils have allowed opponents to collect 14 of a possible 18 points against them, which is a mind-bending .778 points percentage.

I don’t think I need to tell you that this is a serious, serious problem. New Jersey is going to have a massive problem making the playoffs if they continue allowing Metro teams to rack up points at will against them. I heavily advise the Devils to walk away with a regulation win tonight. Four-point swings are big any time of the year, but especially now with the playoff race so bunched up.

Big Guns Misfiring​

Jesper Bratt has one goal and 15 points in his last 23 games.

Nico Hischier has one goal and seven points over his last 13 games.

Dougie Hamilton has not scored in his last 23 games, and has only tallied three assists in that time.

Dawson Mercer has not scored in his last 12 games, and has only tallied four assists in that time.

Timo Meier and Luke Hughes have been a little better, but not by much. Jack Hughes just returned from a long-term injury (and has a goal in his two games since rejoining the lineup), so I won’t get on him too much. But even with the marginal successes of those players, this team’s stars are not carrying their weight at all. There are advanced stats that we could look at that paint a rosier picture, and more importantly, that tell us these poor scoring numbers should regress to the mean (in a positive way!) soon. But the damage has already been done, New Jersey has lost a lot of ground in the standings because they are inexplicably incapable of scoring goals.

And it’s not like this is just a random cold spell either. In the category of “Stats that are hard to believe and should terrify Devils fans”, New Jersey is dead last in the NHL in 5-on-5 goals since last Christmas.

Dead. Last. In the entire league. For a full calendar year.

That is completely unacceptable, and it now has folks starting to point fingers at the coaching staff. I won’t get into that here, but the fact that it’s even gotten to this point should be enormously concerning to everyone involved. The Devils’ shooting luck should (emphasis on should) get better soon. But we’ve been saying that for a full calendar year now. It’s put up or shut up time.

Goalies Heating Up​

If there’s one positive that has come out of New Jersey’s recent struggles, it’s been the play of their goaltenders. Jacob Markstrom was terrific against the Islanders (save for his huge mistake handling a puck that gifted New York a goal). He was also stellar against Utah last week, and pretty good in his game before that against Vancouver. Meanwhile Jake Allen was fine against the Sabres, otherworldly against the Golden Knights, and incredible against the Ducks. Since the disaster against Tampa Bay on December 11, these two have really put the team on their backs.

This is fantastic to see, especially for Markstrom, who was struggling so mightily that it made me start to wonder if New Jersey could buy him out over the summer. As for Allen, he’s been pretty terrific all season long, and he’s kept that up through the Christmas break. There is still a lot of season left to go, but if the two veteran netminders can keep up this quality, or something close to it, that would go a long way toward getting New Jersey back to the playoffs, even if the offense continues to scuffle.

State Of The Union​

If Devils fans need a pick-me-up, the Washington Capitals are proof that sometimes other teams have it as bad as New Jersey too. The Caps come into tonight’s contest having lost their last three games, and six of their last seven. They had a nice six-game winning streak from November 24-December 3, but since then it’s been bleak. This skid has dropped them down into the wild card, where they are only two points up on a playoff spot.

So what’s been the issue for Washington lately? Mainly keeping the puck out of their own net. Aside from their 4-0 win over Toronto on December 18, the Capitals have allowed a total of 27 goals over their last six games. Their main dog in net, Logan Thompson, has been elite since the start of last season, but has hit a rough patch since this downturn commenced. In his five games played since December 11 (when Washington’s streak of six losses in seven games began), Thompson has posted an .891 save percentage. The team in front of him hasn’t exactly helped him out, allowing just north of 31 shots against per game, but it’s not like that’s a completely unreasonable figure. The bottom line is, Thompson just hasn’t been very good lately.

His tandem-mate, Charlie Lindgren, hasn’t been good all season long, and especially since December 11. He’s only played two games since then, but he’s put up a save percentage of .864, which is just dismal. His overall season save percentage is .888, so it’s been a real struggle for him thus far.

We keep saying it, but the Devils have a real opportunity to snap out of their scoring funk here. Thompson is usually quite strong, but he’s scuffling, and Lindgren has been terrible this season. Whoever starts tonight, New Jersey will be facing a goalie that is currently going through it. They really need to take advantage.

As far as their skaters go, it is of course the old guard leading the way. Tom Wilson paces the team in scoring with 34 points (17 goals) in 37 games. Alex Ovechkin is right behind him with 31 points (14 goals) in 37 contests. Rounding out the top three is John Carlson, who is up to 29 points (eight goals) in 33 games.

When it comes to who to watch for tonight, get ready to see a lot of Washington’s fourth-leading scorer, Jakob Chychrun. He leads the team in average time on ice, playing 23:14 per game. Somehow, Chychrun is up to 14 goals this season, as he’s riding an unsustainable 11.1 shooting percentage. New Jersey better hope his stick cools off starting tonight, or else he could wreak havoc from the blue line.

Projected Lineup​

Here is how Washington lined up against the Rangers in their last game on Tuesday:

Lineys#CapsRangers | @JackDaniels_US pic.twitter.com/vON87HRS0e

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 23, 2025

Expect much the same tonight.

Your Take​

What do you make of tonight’s game? Will this evening finally be the night we see some actual finishing talent on display for the Devils? Do you expect the goaltending to stay hot? Who on the Capitals will you be keeping an eye on the most? As always, thanks for reading!

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

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 12/29/25: Clearing Space Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

The Devils managed to come back and push to a third-period lead against the Capitals on Saturday, but Washington tied things up and took the contest with an overtime winner. Capitals won, 4-3. [Devils NHL]

“To be frank, the core players are simply too talented to be sporting the dismal offensive output that they have been producing over the past season and a half. It’s not their faults, though – they’ve still been producing goals and points at their typical levels. I also don’t think it’s a coaching issue. To me, the blame falls squarely on the Devils’ front office.” [Infernal Access]

“The Devils have needed to clear cap space since the summer, but Fitzgerald hasn’t been able to do it. Now, the clock is ticking to get something done with Kovacevic’s return getting closer.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

“Given the absurd underlying statistics and the fact that (Jesper Bratt is) doing all of the little things right, it’s only a matter of time before he gains that finishing touch back and his linemates start to capitalize on his chances. I know that results-based analysis is the convenient route, and is all the more relevant with the team as a whole struggling to find the back of the net, but the truth is that Bratt is playing some of the best hockey in his career.” [Devils’ Advocates]

Hockey Links​

Linus Ullmark will be away from the Senators:

pic.twitter.com/MZtDFxZTD2

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) December 28, 2025

“The West is stacked. When you really think about it, there’s an embarrassment of riches stuffed into one conference. And then you start to wonder: Wait, who is the best player in the East? And where would that player even rank league-wide?” [The Athletic ($)]

An update on the situation in the ECHL:

The Professional Hockey Players’ Association and the @ECHL announced today that a tentative deal has been reached on a new collective bargaining agreement.

The tentative agreement remains subject to ratification by the PHPA’s ECHL membership and approval by the ECHL Board of… pic.twitter.com/AJ73O1Ot0H

— PHPA (@thephpa) December 28, 2025

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

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...n-the-details-12-29-25-clearing-space-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

The Top 10 New Jersey Devils Stories of 2025

2025 is just about over. While every single one of us has very different lives, we all presumably share one thing in common: A love for New Jersey Devils hockey. This team may annoy the bajeebers out of us sometimes, but this is the franchise we’ve chosen to support, and so we ride with the Devils through the good times and bad.

The calendar year of 2025 was an interesting one for New Jersey. It might not have been quite as eventful as some other years, but there was still plenty of intrigue surrounding Jersey’s team. As such, I felt it might be fun to count down the top 10 stories of 2025 involving the New Jersey Devils. Keep in mind, there is absolutely no scientific method here. This list is based purely on my own personal “eye test”, with factors such as on-ice impact, influence on the franchise, and amount of attention and speculation dedicated to it taken into account. I am sure you will disagree with either the ranking of some storylines, or the inclusion/omission of others.

With all that out of the way, let’s take a look at what I consider to be the top 10 New Jersey Devils stories of 2025.

10. Resolution of the Hockey Canada Case​

Back in July, the trial involving members of the 2018 Hockey Canada World Junior Championship Team reached it’s conclusion, with former Devils Michael McLeod and Cal Foote acquitted of the sexual assault charges they were facing. This does not necessarily mean they didn’t do what they were accused of, just that the judge overseeing the trial decided that there was not enough evidence to produce a guilty verdict. As a result of their acquittal, many wondered if the Devils would try to reunite with McLeod (not so much Foote). The answer we got was a pretty resounding no, as McLeod continues to receive seemingly no attention from New Jersey to this day.

9. A Return To The Playoffs​

In Sheldon Keefe’s first year at the helm, he guided the Devils back to the postseason. Their stay in the second season didn’t last long, as they suffered a gentleman’s sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes. That, along with the fact that the regular season was an absolute slog after the Christmas break, made for as frustrating a playoff campaign as one could ask for. Still, a season after missing the playoffs altogether, it was nice to see New Jersey get back to the tournament, even if poor offense and injuries conspired to make their run a short one. The Devils will now look to make the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time since 2008-09 and 2009-10.

8. The Year Of The No-Move Clause​

As a result of the roster’s anemic offense, general manager Tom Fitzgerald has been trying desperately to inject some offensive talent into the lineup via the trade market. At least that’s what his allies in the media are telling us; who knows if that’s actually true. But standing in his way is the fact that Fitzgerald is completely handcuffed by all the no-move clauses he’s given out over the years. It has gotten to the point where Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com wrote about how Fitzgerald and the Devils have given out the most NMC’s in the league. The two biggest names that have been rumored to be on the trade block are Dougie Hamilton and Ondrej Palat. The problem is, both have extensive no-move protection, so trading them is close to impossible. I won’t go down the list of players who have some form of no-move clause on the roster, because it would be quicker to name the players who don’t. But just know that Fitzgerald’s bizarre obsession with handing out NMC’s put this organization in a serious bind in 2025.

7. The Development of Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec​

Luke Hughes’ and Simon Nemec’s development have been a major story for this team in 2025. Hughes hasn’t made the leap New Jersey was counting on yet (spoiler alert: more on that later), but he’s certainly been better than what we’ve seen out of Nemec this calendar year. Nemec struggled mightily all regular season last year, including the 2025 portion of the season. But he turned it on big time in the playoffs against Carolina, and we all hoped that what we saw was the real Nemec and that his poor regular season was just the result of a preseason injury he never recovered from, plus the growing pains of learning a new system. Then in the 2025 part of the 25-26 campaign, Nemec continued to absolutely flounder defensively, raising serious concerns about his long-term ceiling. His offense has been decent at least, and in fact his point totals are excellent thanks to riding a shooting percentage binge. But he’s still not anywhere close to what the Devils were surely hoping he’d be at this point. Like Hughes, there’s still time for Nemec to develop into a quality defensemen. But Tom Fitzgerald, Sheldon Keefe, and the rest of the organization surely have to be concerned with the development (or lack thereof) they’ve seen from Hughes and Nemec in 2025.

6. The Quinn Hughes Sweepstakes​

It seems odd that the long-term future of a player on another team would be a major storyline, but Quinn Hughes is no ordinary player. The older brother of the Devils’ Jack and Luke, Quinn was rumored to be unhappy with Vancouver Canucks management in recent times. This, coupled with Canucks executive Jim Rutherford’s shockingly blunt comments about Quinn’s desire to play with his brothers over the summer, led many to believe a trade to New Jersey was inevitable. We know what happened from there. Quinn was traded to the Minnesota Wild, disappointing Jack, Luke, and Devils fans everywhere. The Quinn Hughes saga reached one inflection point in 2025, but there will surely be at least one more to come in the year ahead.

5. Luke Hughes’ Long Term Future​

It was a long, long staring contest. But in the end, Tom Fitzgerald got Luke Hughes’ signature on a long-term contract. Seven years to be exact, which means a huge piece of the Devils’ rising core is locked up long term. If we’re being honest, it’s been a disappointing year for Hughes on the ice. Once Brett Pesce went down, he struggled mightily, and he hasn’t taken the developmental leap the Devils were hoping he’d take. Heck, forget hoping, they were sort of banking on him taking the next step and becoming a true number-one defenseman. Nevertheless, Hughes’ development is not over, and at the very least, New Jersey has certainty with a player they hope is the future leader of their blueline (assuming Hughes’ older brother doesn’t join the party himself).

4. Injuries, Injuries, Injuries​

I won’t run down a comprehensive list of all the serious injuries New Jersey has faced over the last calendar year. That list would be WAY too long, and besides, you all know the story by now. The hilarious number of injuries has no doubt been one of the biggest storylines surrounding the Devils in 2025. Star players, depth players, goalies…nobody has been safe from the injury bug this year. And while the league as a whole is experiencing a bit of an injury uptick this season, the Devils are still one of the unluckiest squads in the NHL when it comes to this stuff. We can only hope for better health for this team in 2026.

3. The Nonexistent Offense​

In the 2025 part of the 24-25 regular season, New Jersey scuffled thanks in large part to a bottom six that just could not generate any semblance of offense. Erik Haula, Tomas Tatar, Nate Bastian, Justin Dowling, Curtis Lazar…all depth contributors that did not, well, contribute in 2025, and each one of them was jettisoned in the summer. In their place came players such as Cody Glass, Connor Brown, Evgenii Dadonov, Arseni Gritsyuk, and Luke Glendening. This group has been better, but still not good enough. Couple that with a top six that has gone through their fare share of scoring woes, and you have an offense that rates in the lower half of the league this season, as well as an offense that has posted the fewest 5-on-5 goals in the NHL since last Christmas. We can point to many issues surrounding this team, but the anemic offense has to be at or near the top of the list.

2. Jack Hughes’ Injuries​

We mentioned general injuries already, but this one deserves special mention. Another year, another significant injury for Jack Hughes. Actually scratch that; significant injuries, plural, for Jack Hughes. In March, Jack Eichel sent Hughes careening into the end boards shoulder-first, ending Hughes’ season in devastating fashion. Upon returning at the start of the 2025-26 regular season, Hughes was off to a fine start, before he suffered a freak injury at a Chicago steakhouse that cost him roughly another month of action. I feel so bad for this guy, he just cannot stay healthy. I’ve resisted calling Hughes injury prone, and to be fair these two injuries (the Chicago incident especially) are not wounds that occur because a player is injury prone. Could Hughes have survived the Eichel debacle with his shoulder intact if he has some more muscle on him? Maybe. But maybe not. All that said, while I’ve resisted labelling Hughes as injury prone, the fact remains that Hughes has suffered significant injuries in four of the last five seasons. And 2025 was no different. It goes without saying, but the Devils need Hughes to overcome his injury struggles and become a durable player as he reaches his prime.

1. Tom Fitzgerald’s Job Security And Future With The Devils​

And finally, the job security and long term future of general manager Tom Fitzgerald is, in my opinion, the biggest storyline of 2025. It’s something that affects every aspect of the organization and just about all the stories we’ve talked about today. The ridiculous amount of no-move clauses, the lack of development from the Devils’ young defensemen, Luke Hughes’ long-term contract, missing out on Quinn Hughes, the pathetic offense…it all comes back to Tom Fitzgerald and the job he’s done. Reports are that he’s safe at the moment, but I honestly believe he would be more likely than not to be fired if New Jersey misses the postseason this year. And if that happens, an entire organizational upheaval could take place. Granted, you could argue this would be a bigger story in 2026, but even if Fitzgerald’s job security wasn’t a big factor earlier in the year, the heat around him in the latter half of 2025 has gotten so great that it has had a significant impact on everything this franchise does and how this franchise is perceived. Tom Fitzgerald either remaining as general manager or getting his pink slip is the top Devils story of 2025 in my eyes, primarily for how impactful either scenario will be.

Happy New Year​

And there you have it. As mentioned, I seriously doubt any of you will be pleased with all of this list. But that’s part of the fun of this whole exercise, debating what belongs and what doesn’t, and I encourage all of you to give us your top stories in the comments section.

We’ve reached the end of another year, which is usually a good time to reflect on the year that was. As I think back on 2025, I think of the highs and lows this team has provided me. I think of what could have gone differently. But most of all (and I apologize for getting all sappy), I think of how grateful I am to be a part of this community. I’ve been writing for this site since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, so I’m finishing up my third calendar year as a contributor. And I was a reader long, long before that. Despite how frustrating hockey can be sometimes, All About The Jersey remains a place I always love coming back to, whether to read a story, write a story, or peruse the comments sections to see what everyone else thinks about any given Devils topic. Thank you all for making this a wonderful space to share a love for New Jersey Devils hockey.

I hope you had a great 2025. Here’s to an equally great 2026. Let’s go Devils.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d.../the-top-10-new-jersey-devils-stories-of-2025

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Game Preview #39: New Jersey Devils @ Toronto Maple Leafs

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (20-16-2) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (17-15-6)

The Time: 7:00pm ET

The Broadcast: MSG, Devils Radio Network

Last Devils Game​

The Devils returned to action after the Christmas break on Saturday when they hosted the Washington Capitals. Jesper Bratt shook out of a deep scoring slump by potting two goals, but it wasn’t enough as New Jersey fell 4-3 in overtime.

Last Maple Leafs Game​

Toronto last hit the ice on Sunday when they battled the Red Wings in Detroit. The Leafs blew a third period lead and eventually fell 3-2 in overtime.

Last Devils-Maple Leafs Game​

Remember the Devils’ eight-game winning streak? The Maple Leafs were one of New Jersey’s victims during that stretch, as the Devils took a 5-2 decision in Toronto on October 21. Jack Hughes was the big story in that game, registering a hat trick to keep the Devils rolling.

Bratt Breaks Out​

Saturday’s game must have felt like finding water in the desert for Jesper Bratt. After scoring one (1) goal over his previous 23 games, Bratt lit the lamp twice against the Capitals. His first came off a one-timer on the power play, and his second came on a seeing-eye shot from the point that slipped through a few bodies and in. They were not dazzling displays of skill and sharpshooting from Bratt, but beggars can’t be choosers.

As I look back on that 23-game stretch of goal-scoring ineptitude, I do think that while Bratt wasn’t playing his best, he was far from playing his worst. According to Natural Stat Trick, at 5-on-5, Bratt was a playdriving machine in that span (November 8 to December 23):

Corsi For%: 57.71

Scoring Chances For%: 56.82

High Danger Corsi For%: 54.25

Expected Goals For%: 58.55

Those are fantastic numbers. But it didn’t feel like he was playing as well as those stats would indicate, and I think a large part of that had to do with the fact that during that span, he got outscored 11-to-18 at 5-on-5. When you’re rocking a Goals For% around 38%, it’s hard to look good.

One two-goal game does not change everything. Bratt doesn’t have to score tonight, but he does need to put together a good stretch of games here where he’s finding the back of the net with some frequency. Or I suppose if he’s not scoring but he’s walking away with two or three assists per game or something, that works too. Either way, Saturday must have felt amazing for Bratt, and we can only hope it’s the start of a scoring bender.

It’s Come To This​

To be fair, it’s not just Bratt that has been struggling to score. Since the eight-game winning streak ended, the entire team has been either suffering from impossibly bad shooting luck, or they are totally incompetent when it comes to beating goaltenders. Or both. The Devils are near the bottom of the league when it comes to goal-scoring, which is completely unacceptable for a team with this much talent.

The problem has gotten so bad that head coach Sheldon Keefe has resorted to treating his players like they’re a PeeWee squad:

Based on the way things are setting up at #NJDevils practice this morning it's going to be a skills based practice, with different stations set up all over the ice, from shooting, passing, etc.

Couple of shooter-tutors set up in the nets too, of which there are six on the ice.

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) December 28, 2025

Yes, the Devils have been so utterly helpless at scoring goals this season that Keefe feels the need to use shooter-tutors to help his team get better at it. I’m sorry, but if you’re a Devils player, that has to be incredibly motivating. You are a National Hockey League player, which means by definition you are one of the most elite hockey players on planet Earth…and your coach is basically telling you that you are so bad at your job that you need a youth hockey tool to get better? If this team has any pride, they would take that as a major wake-up call and find their offensive game in short order. I do believe that New Jersey has run into some horrible shooting luck that does not reflect their true skill or effort level. But they’ve also been a terrible shooting team for most of the season. Both can be true at once. It’s past time for this team to start beating goaltenders with regularity.

Weakness vs. Weakness​

One interesting matchup I’ll be keeping a close eye on tonight is the Maple Leafs’ power play vs. the Devils’ penalty kill. Toronto enters with a power play conversion rate of 15.5%, a lowly 27th-best in the NHL. On the other side, New Jersey’s penalty kill has labored along at 76.0% efficiency, also 27th-best in the NHL.

If we take a look at the Natural Stat Trick numbers, we see that Toronto has averaged 4:27 per game on the man-advantage, which is the seventh-lowest rate in the league (New Jersey, by the way, is at 4:10 per game, second-lowest in the NHL ahead of only the Edmonton Oilers). So the Leafs struggle to even get to their power play in the first place. Once there, Toronto does a decent job at getting shots off, as they’re 12th in the league in CF/60 and SF/60 on the power play. Meanwhile their 8.57 xGF/60 is basically average, coming in at 17th-best in the league. So even though they don’t get much power play time, their process does not scream “One of the worst power plays in the league” based on the fancy stats.

So what’s the culprit for their power play struggles? How about a 9.93 shooting percentage, third-worst in the NHL. If you thought the Devils had bad shooters on their team, the Maple Leafs would like a word.

So while Toronto struggles with the man-advantage on the surface, their power play is more dangerous than it appears. Granted, it’s still not near the top of the league in any way, it’s merely average. But average is a lot better than the conversion rate would indicate. The Devils and their abysmal penalty kill better hope the Leafs’ shooting struggles last at least one more game.

The Matthews Panic Is Real​

Auston Matthews has been one of the very best players in the world for some time now. He’s been a truly elite goal-scorer, an incredible play-driver, and thanks in large part to former Maple Leafs coach and current Devils bench boss Sheldon Keefe, he also turned himself into a defensive ace, with Selke Trophy votes (including a third-place finish in 2023-24) in the last six seasons to show for it. I don’t think I need to remind Devils fans how good Matthews is, considering he’s scored an astonishing 21 goals in 22 games against New Jersey in his career. He has absolutely destroyed the Devils since he came into the league, which is par for the course for one of the top players in the world.

But something appears to be wrong with Matthews this season. He enters tonight’s game with a mere 15 goals and 27 points in 33 games, far, far below his lofty standards. Under the hood, his 5-on-5 playdriving numbers are all well below his usual production as well. And perhaps most shocking of all, he did not register a point in his first game against New Jersey this year, which should have set off massive alarm bells in Toronto. It’s gotten so bad that professional outlets are starting to do deep dives on what the problem might be. The theories range from him playing injured to Leafs coach Craig Berube’s systems being bad to Matthews really missing Mitch Marner.

Whatever the reason, Matthews has not been Matthews this season. There’s still plenty of time for him to right the ship, both in this season and over the course of the rest of his career. But for the Devils’ sake, they better hope he doesn’t find his game tonight.

The Rest Of The Leafs​

As far as the entire Maple Leafs team goes, this has certainly been a down year for them. They’ve lost more games than they’ve won, which they really have never done in the Auston Matthews era. Losing a player as good as Marner seems to have really hurt this team, even if it was truly time for him to go. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Maple Leafs are one of the worst playdriving teams in the NHL at 5-on-5:

CF%: 45.67 (30th in the league)

SCF%: 46.96 (27th)

HDCF%: 50.14 (18th)

xGF%: 48.64 (23rd)

So aside from HDCF%, Toronto is near the bottom of the league in every other category. It’s pretty alarming to see the Leafs this bad at controlling play. No wonder Leafs fans are calling for Craig Berube’s head.

As far as raw point production goes, William Nylander leads the way with 14 goals and 41 points in 33 games. Former captain John Tavares is still chugging along at the ripe old age of 35, with 15 goals and 35 points in 38 games. The top three is rounded out by Matthew Knies, who has 10 goals and 34 points in 35 contests. Toronto’s top point-scorer among defenseman is Morgan Reilly, who is up to five goals and 25 points through 37 games. No surprises in that group aside from maybe Knies, as Nylander, Tavares, and Reilly (along with Matthews) have made up the core of the Maple Leafs for a long time now.

Projected Lineup​

Here’s how the Maple Leafs lined up in their last game:

Tonight’s Lineup@Molson_Canadian | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/ICUNjlFhBt

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) December 29, 2025

You may notice one very notable absence there: William Nylander. He is considered day-to-day at last check, so his status bears monitoring as we get closer to gametime. If he can’t go, that’s a huge break for New Jersey.

Your Take​

What do you make of tonight’s game? Do you expect Bratt to find the back of the net again? What about the rest of the offense, do you think we finally see a goal explosion for the first time in a while? Despite his struggles, how concerned are you about Auston Matthews wrecking the game tonight? As always, thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...view-39-new-jersey-devils-toronto-maple-leafs

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #39: New Jersey Devils at Toronto Maple Leafs

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (20-16-2) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (17-15-6)

The Time: 7:00pm ET

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

The Game Preview: Jackson wrote a 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-39-new-jersey-devils-at-toronto-maple-leafs

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Why I’m Cautiously Optimistic For The Second Half of the Devils Season

There has been a lot of negativity when it comes to the discourse around the New Jersey Devils throughout 2025. And justifiably so.

For the second year in a row, the Devils got off to a good start only to give it back. They’re 39-38-6 in the last calendar year. The Devils, who were in a playoff spot on Thanksgiving, currently sit on the outside looking in. The team is capped out, and while they have draft picks available to trade, they’re in a tough spot where they need to subtract money to add money. Some of those players with bloated contracts have looked like shells of their former selves, and other GMs aren’t going to be looking to do the Devils any favors unless it is worth their while. The blame has been laid at GM Tom Fitzgerald’s feet, and there are fair questions as to whether or not head coach Sheldon Keefe is capable of getting more out of this roster.

The vibes, as they say, are bad.

So why am I cautiously optimistic about this team going forward when they’ve given me little reason to believe?

The short answer might very well be that I am a big dumb idiot for still believing in this group. But with the calendar shifting to 2026 tomorrow, at the bare minimum, I refuse to doom-watch this team thinking everything that can possibly go wrong will. Aside from the fact that that’s not good for my mental health, it’s also exhausting to be the fan who consistently says “see, I knew they sucked” all along. I’m still invested in this group, and I’m going to be until they give me a reason not to be. Despite things being bad at the moment, I don’t think we’re quite there yet.

I came up with a few reasons that I’ll be telling myself when it comes to why the Devils could turn things around in 2026. Will they? Who the heck knows? The Devils might keep pulling the proverbial football away like Lucy from Peanuts, but I’m still going to try to kick it. This is why they play the games. We all get to see what happens. We get to see what this group is made of, and we’ll probably get a clear answer whether or not some of these players should continue being on the roster going forward.

The Goaltending/ Defensive Efforts Have Actually Been Better of Late​

We are dealing with very small sample sizes here. But with that said, Jacob Markstrom is at a .932 save percentage over his last three starts while Jake Allen is at .936 over his last four starts.

The fact that the Devils have been getting better goaltending really just hammers home how frustrating this stretch of futility has been. It’s really hard to win games in this league when you’re only scoring one or two goals in any given night, and you can’t ask the goaltenders to be perfect to make up for an anemic offense. I’m not saying the Devils should be throwing a parade because Markstrom didn’t look completely washed for a few games in a row or because Allen had a few good starts, but its better than the alternative and you gotta start somewhere when trying to take a step forward.

Prior to the Christmas break, the Devils had given up ten goals in their last six games, with one of those being an empty netter. Their record was 3-3.

Getting Brett Pesce back and helping stabilize that pairing with Luke Hughes likely has had some impact on that defensive turnaround, but generally speaking, the goaltending and the defense has been doing their part and giving the team a chance to win. It’s time for the offense to do their part.

Special Teams Should Be Better With Brett Pesce and Jack Hughes Back In The Lineup​

The Devils penalty kill has typically been one of the strengths of the team the last few years, but they took several steps back when Pesce got injured.

The penalty kill in games that Pesce has played is killing penalties at a 90.0% clip, only allowing 4 goals in 40 opportunities. A lot of that comes from the stretch earlier in the season where the Devils killed off 21 consecutive penalties, but it’s all still part of the resume at the end of the day. The Devils have also killed off 7 of 9 penalties in games since Pesce returned.

To give you an idea of how much the penalty killed dropped off in Pesce’s absence, the Devils killed off 40 of 60 penalties, converting at a 66.6% rate, without him in the lineup. The majority of that damage came in the final few games before Pesce returned, with the Devils killing off 5 of 12 penalties over four games. It doesn’t take an expert to say that that’s not good.

As for the power play, the Devils converted at a 25% rate prior to Jack Hughes’s injury (11-for-44) and are 1-for-3 since his return, good for 25.5%. Without Jack, the Devils converted at a 17% clip (8-for-47).

At the moment of this writing, the Devils penalty kill sits 27th in the league at 75.8%. The power play has done better at 20.7%, good for 12th in the league. I’m not trying to suggest that Brett Pesce is solely responsible for any success the penalty kill has, nor am I trying to suggest that Jack Hughes is solely responsible for any success the power play has. Sometimes, the Devils penalty kill gives up goals when Pesce is on the ice. Sometimes, the Devils power play scores when Jack is off the ice or not directly involved with the run of play.

That said, both of those players play significant roles on those respective units. Pesce, who is the Devils best defensive defenseman, leads all Devils players in time on ice per game on the kill at 2:53. Hughes, who is the Devils best offensive threat, is 3rd amongst Devils forwards at 2:54 in time on ice per game. Those respective units flow through those players. They’re a big part of the reason why those units have success, and when they’re not in the lineup, their absence is felt. There’s no getting around that.

Shooting Luck (Or Lack Thereof) Should Turn Around to Some Extent​

In the Devils final 11 games prior to the Christmas break, they shot a hair over 6%.

As a point of reference, the league average is roughly 10.3%.

Shooting 6% over any prolonged stretch is bad, but it’s also to the point where “this can’t go on forever”. Only Chicago has scored fewer 5v5 goals since December 3rd, and while Chicago might be getting comically bad luck with a .946 PDO in that stretch, the Devils aren’t doing much better at .986.

I would agree with the line of thinking that this team could use another finisher or two in their top six. I would also agree that they’re probably just an average team when it comes to finishing. Tom Fitzgerald needed to add another scoring forward in the offseason, but the lack of cap space that he had a hand in creating prevented him from doing so. But it should be also noted that they just got their best finisher back in the lineup with Jack Hughes and that alone should make some impact.

I’d like to see the Devils figure out a way to create more offensively. I know Jesper Bratt has been a whipping boy of late due to his scoring struggles, as he’s a ‘pass first, ask questions later’ player. It was nice to see him score a couple goals the other night against Washington, but I need more from him. I’d also like to see Arseny Gritsyuk play with better players who can find him in a position to get his shot off. Gritsyuk needs to be a guy who is getting his shot off since he’s one of the few players on the roster capable of being a goaltender clean.

But I’d also like to see the Devils do more to change their puck luck. The Devils don’t play for rebounds, as they have ONE goal off the rebound at 5v5 this season according to MoneyPuck. Worst in the league. They don’t do enough when it comes to getting bodies to the front of the net and either tipping or redirecting shots. They’re also 32nd in the league at goals for above expected at 5v5 despite being 11th in the league at getting shots on net, which really hammers home how much they’ve struggled finishing.

Stop with the overpassing and setting up the “perfect shot” that NEVER GOES IN and start throwing the puck on net from all angles and maybe good things will happen. Diversify your approach so you’re not so one-dimensional and easy to defend. Doing so should create shooting lanes that haven’t been there earlier in the season.

The Devils Are As Healthy As They Have Been In Awhile​

Let’s turn the clock back to Opening Night, when the Devils iced this lineup.

Now lets look at the lineup they’ve iced in their most recent game.

Aside from swapping out Evgenii Dadonov for Stefan Noesen and some line tweaks, it’s basically the same lineup.

Now, that lineup didn’t win on Opening Night in Carolina, but it is the same lineup that rattled off eight wins in a row shortly thereafter and beat some of the better teams in the NHL in the process.

None of this means that the Devils will continue to remain healthy going forward or replicate that early season success. Some injuries have had a far greater impact than others, as we’ve already discussed with Hughes and Pesce. There’s a lot of luck and randomness to all of this, and if the so-called Hockey Gods decide it’s just not your year, it’s not your year.

But they’re….(knock on wood)….relatively healthy at the moment. And generally speaking, having good players in your lineup is better than having replacement level players.

The Schedule Is Easing Up​

I will preface this portion of the article by saying that generally speaking, I despise playing “the schedule game”.

The reason for that is this is professional sports. The term “Any Given Sunday” exists for a reason, because any team can theoretically beat any other team on any given day. Add on top of that how tight the league has been in general this year and one could say that its actually misleading to suggest the schedule is easy given the circumstances.

I don’t think anyone can dispute that the first half of the Devils schedule is far more difficult than the second half. And with that said, it should be pointed out that they don’t face a team like Colorado, Anaheim, or Vegas again unless the Devils were to somehow reach the Stanley Cup Final….something we would all sign up for. The Devils don’t face Tampa Bay again this season unless they meet in the playoffs.

That’s not to say the Devils don’t have difficult games on what is supposedly one of the easiest schedules remaining in the league. The Devils still have Carolina three times and they have yet to solve their Carolina issue. There’s tough games here and there such as Dallas and Florida and Minnesota. They just lost in overtime to Washington, a team ahead of them in the standings, the other night. And if you want to be cynical, one could say every game is a tough game when you might be as average as this Devils team appears to be. I get all that. But there isn’t a stretch in the second half where they have 5-6 tough games all in a row where you wonder if they’re going to win a game at all within that two week stretch.

The Devils still need to get their own house in order and take care of their own business, but at least it’s not as rough as it looked early on.

Final Thoughts​

I don’t think the Devils are championship contenders as presently constructed. But that doesn’t mean I want to see them pack it in either. This is a team that should be a comfortable playoff team, and it’s about time they start acting like one and showing it on the ice.

The bad news is that injuries and inconsistencies have chipped away at the point lead they accumulated in the early weeks of the season and put the Devils right on that playoff bubble. The good news is that they still have half the season to go, they’re getting healthier, and the schedule isn’t as brutal as it was in the first half of the season. It wouldn’t take much of a winning streak to be right back in the mix for the playoffs, but they need to do it.

You’re only as good as your record though, and the stats are only good until the next time there’s an 0-4 and that dynamic changes. The Devils may have key pieces back, but they still don’t look like a team that is about to turn the corner and go on a winning streak. Rather, they look like a team that is hanging on and trying to survive on any given night they play hockey. Until THAT changes, its tough to see the Devils fortunes changing as well. And because of that, my cautious optimism might be closer to actually being wishful thinking.

(Stats referenced in this article do not include the December 30th, 2025 game vs. Toronto, a game where I’m certain the Devils won’t play as poorly as they have all season and make this entire article seem ridiculous in retrospect)

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...stic-for-the-second-half-of-the-devils-season

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 12/31/25: Circling the Drain Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

Another pathetic showing as the season continues to circle the drain. The Leafs were missing Auston Matthews and William Nylander in Tuesday night’s game but took a 4-0 win over the Devils. [Devils NHL]

“While a lack of secondary scoring has certainly factored into New Jersey’s woes, they haven’t gotten enough from their big guns either. Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer have gone through extreme dryspells that have completely cratered the team’s offense.” [Infernal Access ($)]

“Dougie Hamilton and Ondřej Palát are two prime candidates to move for cap space due to their pricey cap hits, but are there other options, like trading Jonas Siegenthaler? General manager Tom Fitzgerald could pull that off, but it’s a bit more complicated.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

Hockey Links​

A trade:

TRADE ALERT

We've received a 2026 2nd-RD pick, a 2027 3rd-RD pick and F Danton Heinen from the @penguins in exchange for F Yegor Chinakhov.

https://t.co/H7AI7HoUZ5

CBJ x @OHHeartofitAll pic.twitter.com/Hw3R5WN8za

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 29, 2025

Olympic rosters will be here soon:

With Olympic rosters due tomorrow, USA Hockey & Team Canada will call players in the morning.

Expect similar American roster to Four Nations; hearing small tweaks. Macklin Celebrini made Canada then we’ll see on Connor Bedard, who was just on the outside throughout the process.

— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) December 30, 2025

Hurricanes are losing Pyotr Kochetkov:

Oh no.

Rod Brind'Amour shares pre-game that Pyotr Kochetkov is having surgery to fix the lower-body injury he's been dealing with this season and is "probably out for the year." pic.twitter.com/Pd0pqG45hz

— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) December 29, 2025

Some history:

Another page in the history books for Matthew Schaefer! pic.twitter.com/yfgVMIPBLn

— NHL (@NHL) December 31, 2025

“The 2025 calendar year is coming to a close, and there’s plenty to reflect on. Over the past year in hockey, we saw a rivalry renewed on the international stage, a repeat champ crowned, record-setting contracts signed, a new CBA stamped, and blockbuster trades that shook things up in a big way. But the hockey world is forever moving forward, and as we approach a new year, we’re looking at what 2026 may bring. Here are nine storylines we’re eying in the year ahead.” [Sportsnet]

“The Buffalo Sabres’ surprising nine-game win streak has been achieved by a revitalized defense, timely offense and veteran player performances.” [The Hockey News]

ECHL news:

The PHPA's ECHL membership has ratified a new, five-year collective bargaining agreement with the @ECHL. The new agreement will run through the 2029-30 season.

“This agreement reflects the unity, resolve, professionalism and discipline of our members throughout this process,”… pic.twitter.com/V5zLBk5DVB

— PHPA (@thephpa) December 30, 2025

pic.twitter.com/eFHD8WeJpa

— ECHL (@ECHL) December 30, 2025

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

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...e-details-12-31-25-circling-the-drain-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #40: New Jersey Devils at Columbus Blue Jackets

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (20-17-2) at the Columbus Blue Jackets (17-15-6)

The Time: 7:00pm ET

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

The Game Preview: I wrote the 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...40-new-jersey-devils-at-columbus-blue-jackets

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Management and Ownership Should be Held Accountable for the Middling New Jersey Devils

Last week, I questioned if the coaching staff of the New Jersey Devils should feel secure about their jobs. In that article, I also briefly mentioned how it is General Manager Tom Fitzgerald’s job to do something as well; after all, heading coaching hires (and to some extent, the assistants) are his decision. The Devils are still struggling even after numerous players have gotten healthy and returned while completing a month of play where they went just 5-9-1 in 15 games, getting a lowly 11 points of a possible 30. Worse still is the fact that they lost games to many teams who are middling in the standings as much as they are; swinging those games could’ve cured the team’s ills and this article wouldn’t even be a thought right now.

Yet sadly, here we are; 11 points out of 30 is simply unacceptable for a team that had plans and expectations to be dueling with Carolina for the division crown. Instead, the team enters an idle day today outside of the playoff picture in a very crowded pack in terms of points. The East is a bit crazy this season, as right now there’s only 11 points between the best teams and the last place Blue Jackets. Heck, the Devils are only two points out of a playoff spot and seven off of Carolina for top of the division. Yet in a month where they could have accrued points and solidified their standing in the Metro’s playoff spots, they struggled to put together anything worth watching on most nights, resulting in an uphill climb as 2026 begins.

Sure, there’s blame to be had by players and coaches, but the GM assembles the roster that they have to work with, and ownership has stayed committed to the current GM. While early season play had myself and others excited about the team’s depth, those good feelings have subsided, and in the case of some players, they’ve evaporated. Multiple injuries to Evgenii Dadonov have limited him to five games and zero points; for someone who was seen as a guy who could slot into the first, second or third line as needed, losing him meant guys moving into slots they shouldn’t be moving into and combinations that worked in preseason or certain sets of games having to be divided.

Fitz is responsible for signing Ondrej Palat seasons ago, a contract that many were worried would age like milk from the moment it was announced. Well, that deal has aged more like rotten fish submerged in said milk, and yet Fitz allows Coach Sheldon Keefe to keep using Palat and his eight points in 40 games in the Top 6. Fitz also brought in Luke Glendening, who did play well enough to earn a contract off of his PTO, but Glendening has been underwhelming to put it lightly. He could’ve been waived at this point with no one batting an eye. Don’t get me started on Juho Lammikko, a player who has been worse than Glendening yet was signed to a standard contract this summer to come back to the NHL after years away. The Stefan Noesen deal is also starting to look questionable; while Noesen was a strong contributor last season, he only has seven points in 34 games this year an has been relegated to the fourth line on most nights.

I will give Fitz some credit though. Connor Brown is having a pretty good season for the team with 17 points in 33 games. He’s also contributed most of that in a limited role and only one of his points came from special teams play, with it being a shorthanded goal. I will also credit him for getting Arseny Gritsyuk to come over; while Gritsis having some growing pains adjusting to the NHL, he also has 17 points albeit in 36 games. These are two moves that were made to compliment the Devils’ core players and these two have actually been helping the team. Unfortunately, there’s more misses than hits overall.

Maybe ownership is waiting to see how this season plays out to determine if Fitz stays or goes. I think a playoff miss could be the end of Fitz as Devils GM. Let me be clear: I do not want the team to go down that path. I want them to figure out what they can do to be a fast, effective, dangerous team again. However if this team really isn’t as good on the ice as they appeared to be on paper, than like I said last week changes need to be made. A new GM would probably mean a new coaching staff to meet that GM’s vision, so again maybe everyone should be worried.

That is, if ownership is paying attention, which I why I made mention of them in the title as well. Devils fans have observed that team management has tended to be a bit…hands off at times. I’m sure the Devils aren’t the only team in that boat, but it’s more noticeable when things are not going according to plan. Team owners also typically don’t care if their team is struggling until it affects one thing: their wallet. Tickets to games for most professional sports teams are already pricy and while the Devils aren’t the worst, it’s still a decent chunk of change, especially if you want to sit in the lower seats. Those lower seats are the ones that get seen on TV, and if they’re not being purchased, not only does it reflect poorly on ownership, but it also starts hitting their wallet. I’m not sitting here saying boycott Devils games until ownership wakes up, but I am saying that people are not going to continue to pay these prices for a middling or worse team: the wallet effect will happen organically if the on ice product continues to be below standard.

I know the Devils are struggling right now while also statistically being one of the unluckier teams in the league at this point in time. Maybe some of the negatives will course correct naturally as shooting percentages even out and bounces go the Devils way. Yet that still should not let Fitz and, by extent, management off the hook for some of the decisions that he’s made. Even decisions made in seemingly good faith that did not pan out have to start being weighed against him. Good intentions don’t win championships and if the Devils’ contention window with this core is open like everyone says, then middling results from the team halfway through the season should be enough for some changes to be made. Right now things remain status quo, but if the team doesn’t turn things around, something needs to be done soon.

Because if it isn’t and ownership loses any possible playoff revenue, then maybe management and coaching see a lot of people being let go come this offseason.

What are your thoughts on management and ownership needing to be held accountable for the Devils current play; do you put this more on one of the other? Are you still a fan of Tom Fitzgerald or do you think it’s time for a new voice and vision for the team? Is it going to take fans not showing up and the team continuing to play poorly for changes to be made? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...ccountable-for-the-middling-new-jersey-devils

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Ball Drop in Columbus: Massive 3-2 Win Over the Jackets

First and foremost, Happy New Year to you all, we truly appreciate all of you maniacs that choose to spend your time here, day in and day out, through good times and bad, in our corner of the Devils universe. I truly wish all of you a healthy and happy 2026.

Since it is It’s New Years Eve, so I am going to keep this somewhat brief.

I had an entire obituary written after the 2nd period. In my head I traded the entire team, sent management to the gulag, relocated them to Houston. Debated McKenna or Stenberg, or does Lawrence make sense? Debated why I made the Devils like 60-65% of my personality. Cursed my dad who let me stay up late in 1988 to watch Johnny Mac send me on this journey.

Just more of the same listless nonsense that has plagued this team. It is difficult to write these recaps focusing on the micro when we still have several looming issues on the macro level.

But you know what?? None of that matters, we got the W in Columbus, 3-2 of the strength of a 2 point night from Luke (including the game winner) and another strong night from Jake Allen.

1st period​

This was quite possibly the most period that ever perioded. Practically nothing good happened, and spoiler alert we went to the room down 1-0. The best opportunity was Jack missing an early breakaway after our old buddy Severson had an unforutante fumble. Just kidding on the unfortunate part, how’s Columbus, Damon?

Obviously right after that happened they were going to score, and sure enough they did. Marchment cleaned up a loose rebound after – get this – a failed clear. Luke throws it up the boards to no one, point shot, rebound and here we are. The Devils have now given up the first goal in 24 of 41 games which is almost 60% if you don’t feel like doing the math. This one all started in the offensive zone, after Jack’s breakaway, Luke half halfheartedly tried to feather a pass to Jack up top and it wound up coming back the other way. Between the failed clear and soft pass in dangerous area, Luke really has to clean it up.

“It’s playing hard, winning puck battles, board battles. Being intentional with the puck. Making hard plays. All these little details that will lead to goals because you’re playing the right way” – Sal

While an outrageous string of cliches, they are cliches for a reason. Luke has to be stronger on that at both ends, and frankly it’s something that plagues this entire team. The wing/forward also needs to pop out and present himself as an outlet for Luke, but there was Dawson just… staring at him. They just aren’t hard on the puck, they don’t take that extra step, they don’t play through the body. They puck watch. We got to the room down 1-0 after a good kill, but nothing felt good about it: generated less than half an expected goal, shots and chances were dead even, and aside from Jack’s breakaway nothing felt like it could’ve come close to going in.

2nd period​

Pretty much what I said above but worse. Just no life from this group, Coyle gets on the board to make it 2-0 on broken play, Jack this time showing no fight as he gets easily stripped. The most embarrassing part of this period was a full blown segment on Olivier, narrated by Sal and Dano. Gross.

5 periods, no goals.

3rd period​

BUT THEN THEY COME ALL THE WAY BACK AND REDEEM THEMSELVES.

Maybe this is a turning point, and there is reason to be optimistic?

They FINALLY got on the board on a simple, effective power play set up: Face off win, Jack taps to Luke who walks the line and sends a cheeky shot pass that Nico redirects with Noesen in front. Not gonna lie if that was against us, I would be ready with a pitchfork for the goalie, but since it was ours: great goal, high skill, good job guys. Do we cheer? I don’t know what to do with my hands.

View Link

Those are the types of dumb goals that open the floodgates and oh boy did the floodgates open, less than a minute later Grits unleashed a snipe from the top of the circle after a nice zone exit from Timo. And yes Don, that was Gritsyuk, not Hughes. What a shooter this kid is, more please, maybe give him some time with the guys who are really good passers:

View Link

And a minute later, we get another one??? What is this??! Some good dirty board work from Palat (see above quote from Sal) and a seeing eye pass makes it way from Brown to Luke who snipes one short side.

View Link

WOW.

Glass got into a little skirmish later. Gotta say this kid looks like a bit of a soft boy, plays with baby rabbits and such, but he’s big and has a little edge to him. I was also impressed with the PK on Dillon’s cross check, Nico got a partial breakaway and just some really firm, solid clears.

Allen held it DOWN at the end.

Devils WIN! Devils WIN! put a pitchfork in this one!

Scattered Thoughts​

I hope you appreciate the multiple meanings on my headline. Really gave myself a chuckle.

Nice to see some of the snakebitten and whipping boys get on the board in Nico and Luke.

I thought Jake Allen played a solid game, and really made some great saves at the end to lock it down. Don’t look now but goalies haven’t been a problem: Since 12/1 Marky has a .900 and Allen has a .912 and over the last 7 games Marky has a .930 and Allen has a .931. Maybe score some goals, eh?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

LGD

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...-in-columbus-massive-3-2-win-over-the-jackets

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2026 IIHF World Juniors Championships: Playoffs Open Post and Gamesthread

Good morning, Devils fans. The World Juniors Championships are now past the group stage and into the playoffs. Please see below for how the Groups A and B shook out:

The Rosters and Standings​

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. The top four teams in each Group will advance to the Championship Playoffs, while Germany and Denmark will proceed to the Relegation game.

Group A

Team Sweden — 4-0-0-0 (12 points)

Team USA — 3-0-0-1 (9 points)

Team Switzerland — 2-0-0-2 (6 points)

Team Slovakia — 1-0-0-3 (3 points)

Team Germany — 0-0-0-4 (0 points)

Group B

Team Canada — 3-1-0-0 (11 points)

Team Czechia — 2-1-0-1 (8 points)

Team Finland — 2-0-1-1 (7 points)

Team Latvia — 1-0-1-2 (4 points)

Team Denmark — 0-0-0-4 (0 points)

January 2​

Relegation Playoff: Germany vs. Denmark
The Time: 12:30 PM EST
The Spot: 3M Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN, NHL Network, Fubo

Bracket A Quarterfinal #1: Sweden vs. Latvia
The Time: 2:00 PM EST
The Spot: Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN, NHL Network, Fubo

Bracket A Quarterfinal #2: Czechia vs. Switzerland
The Time: 4:30 PM EST
The Spot: 3M Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN, NHL Network, Fubo

Bracket B Quarterfinal #1: USA vs. Finland
The Time: 6:00 PM EST
The Spot: Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN, NHL Network, Fubo

Bracket B Quarterfinal #2: Canada vs. Slovakia
The Time: 8:30 PM EST
The Spot: 3M Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN, NHL Network, Fubo

As a result of USA’s loss to Sweden in the final game of the Group Stage, it became certain that only one of Team USA or Team Canada can get a silver or gold medal this year. But Finland is a tough enough game for Team USA, and they cannot take them lightly.

January 4​

January 4 will feature the Semifinals.

January 5​

January 5 will feature the Gold and Bronze Games.

Your Thoughts​

What have you thought of World Juniors this season? Have you been able to catch any games so far? 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-playoffs-open-post-and-gamesthread

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Game Preview #41: Utah Mammoth @ New Jersey Devils

Dear Devils, more of this today please. Sincerely, every Devils fan. | Photo by Rich Graessle/NHL via Getty Images

• The Matchup: Utah Mammoth (19-19-3) @ New Jersey Devils (21-17-2)
• The Time: 3:00pm EST
• The Broadcast: MSGSN, Devils Hockey Radio

Last Devils Game​

On New Year’s Eve, the Devils beat Columbus for their first win in 5 games. Over the first two periods, things were not looking good for the Devils, yet again. Mason Marchment scored in the 1st period for Columbus and Charlie Coyle scored in the 2nd period to send the game to the 3rd period with the Blue Jackets up 2-0. Rightfully so, there was definitely a feeling of “here we go again” heading into the 3rd period. The Devils had lost 4 games in a row prior to the game and up until then, had not yet comeback to win a game this season where they had been trailing after 2 periods. Surely, the game would be another loss and their 5th in a row.

The Devils decided that enough was enough in the 3rd period and went on to score 3 goals in the span of less than 2 minutes. Yes folks, you read that right. The Devils scored 3 goals in less than 2 minutes, after scoring 5 goals COMBINED in their last FOUR games. Nico Hischier scored a power play goal at 2:49 (remember those?) with assists from the Hughes brothers. Arseny Gritsyuk scored his 8th goal at 3:44 and Luke Hughes scored his 4th at 4:45. Fans were probably left wondering if they were watching condensed highlights of a previous game with the explosion of offense lighting up their screens.

The win against Columbus was one that the Devils really needed to stop their losing streak. Jake Allen gave the Devils a chance to win, and for the first time in a while, the offense for the Devils actually held up their end of the bargain. On the other hand, the Devils beat Columbus, a team that is performing exactly as expected this season (unlike the Devils); average, at best. A win is a win. 2 points are 2 points. I’m happy the Devils won. Sincerely. At the same time, let’s not act like all of the problems facing this team have now magically disappeared. They haven’t. I genuinely hope this win kicks off a long winning streak, but I will reserve judgment as I’ve fallen victim to this thinking many times before over the past few years. Fool me 10 times, well……you know.

Last Mammoth Game​

On New Year’s Day, Utah defeated the Islanders by a score of 7-2. Things started out even for both teams as they went scoreless in the 1st period. However, Utah would score 3 goals in the 2nd period while Calum Ritchie added 1 goal for the Islanders to end the 2nd period with a 3-1 Utah lead. Utah put the game away in the 3rd period, scoring 4 goals (including back to back power play goals less than 3 minutes apart) to only 1 for the Islanders.

Dylan Guenther had a 4 point night for Utah, including his 1st career hat trick. This is actually good news Devils fans. It means that we don’t need to worry about a player getting their first x, y, z against the Devils today. If anyone in the NHL is looking to have their first shutout, goal, hat trick, win, etc., the Devils are the team to do it against.

Karel Vejmelka was in net for the win for Utah against New York. He has played 30 games this season so far for Utah, which means he will most likely get the start today against New Jersey, though that is not yet confirmed as of this writing. This is good news, yet again Devils fans (assuming Vanecek doesn’t start). We all know, it’s a known fact of the universe that if Vitek gets the start, he will post a 61 save shutout.

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

There was a little bit of interesting news from Amanda Stein on Friday afternoon. Paul Cotter is coming out of the lineup today and will be replaced by Juho Lammikko. Cotter did practice on Friday as part of the 4th pair of D, so he’s healthy, and this appears to be a gameplay decision. For those of you who have been asking for some accountability or for someone to be benched, here you go.

Paul Cotter is in fact coming out of the lineup tomorrow and Lammikko is going in against Utah. #NJDevils https://t.co/S00zxmORTT

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) January 2, 2026

Before some of you (not all of you) get nervous, Dennis Cholowski did skate for Luke Hughes who did not practice on Friday. However, per Amanda Stein, Luke is fine and will play today.

Just a day off of the ice for Luke Hughes today, says #NJDevils HC Sheldon Keefe.

He’s fine. https://t.co/FlOEcDLZqN

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) January 2, 2026

Back on 12/28, per Stein “Sounds like Nemec will need some more time before a return, Keefe mentioned likely a couple more weeks until he’s ready.” There hasn’t been a recent update on Evegenii “remember me?” Dadonov either so who knows if/when he will be back in the lineup.

I would expect Jacob Markstrom to get the start today. Keefe has alternated the goalies every game for the last 8 games. Assuming the pattern continues, it’s a safe bet we will see Markstrom, though it’s not official yet. In a move that will surprise some of you readers, I’m not going to trash Markstrom here for the first time in a while. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complimenting him, and I still think his best days are far, far behind him. However, he did have a decent December, with a 2.85 GAA and .900 SV%. He gave the team a chance to win some games last month, and that’s the bare minimum you can ask from your goalie, which he’s done recently.

Grimace’s Prediction and 2025-2026 Record Tracker​

For the first time in what feels like forever, Grimace correctly predicted two games in a row. Maybe the worst is behind him in the new year? Either way, Grimace is predicting the Devils will get the win today for their 2nd in a row and their first (of hopefully many) in 2026.

Grimace’s 2025-2026 Season Prediction record currently stands at 11-9-0.

Your Take​

Today is a matchup between basically two .500 level teams. The Devils should be a better team than Utah, both on paper and on the ice. The question, as it has been mostly this whole season, is which Devils team will show up today? If the Devils from the 3rd period against Columbus show up for the whole game today, a win shouldn’t be too difficult. If the Devils from periods 1 and 2 show up for the whole game, well, expect another loss. In the immortal words of Walter Hartwell White (and Sheldon Keefe), the Devils, quite simply, need to “grow some @#$&ing balls.” 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.

YouTube

Apple Podcast

Spotify

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...ame-preview-41-utah-mammoth-new-jersey-devils

 

[JJ]

OH BOY here we go again with the Devils drama! Look, I gotta be honest with you guys - as a Bills and Sabres fan I know a thing or two about watching management make questionable decisions while your team underperforms. Welcome to the club, Devils fans!

That said, this Columbus comeback was something else. THREE GOALS IN UNDER TWO MINUTES after scoring FIVE in the previous FOUR GAMES?! That's the kind of bipolar hockey that makes you want to throw your remote through the TV one minute and then hug it the next.

The Fitzgerald situation is interesting though. You guys are talking about accountability and I respect that. We went through YEARS of that with the Sabres front office before things started turning around. The Palat contract aging like "rotten fish submerged in milk" made me literally laugh out loud because that's EXACTLY how some of our contracts have looked over the years.

Here's my take on the Utah game today - this is a MUST WIN. Not because Utah is some powerhouse, but because you're playing a .500 team at home and you just got some momentum from that comeback. If you can't beat the Mammoth (still a ridiculous name by the way) then all that talk about the Columbus game being a turning point is just hot air.

Also benching Cotter for Lammikko? Bold choice. We'll see if that accountability actually means anything or if it's just shuffling deck chairs.

LET'S GO DEVILS! (Can't believe I just said that but I respect the grind)

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils Start the New Year Right With Convincing 4-1 Win Over Mammoth

First Period​

The New Jersey Devils and Utah Mammoth got off to a largely slow start in Newark. Jacob Markstrom almost had to deal with a breakaway a couple minutes in after Jonas Siegenthaler fell in the neutral zone, but Daniil But lost the puck on the attempt, giving Markstrom an easier save. A bit later, Jesper Bratt got past the defense but shot from very high in the offensive zone, passing up a few strides towards the net for the quick shot, which was stopped by Karel Vejmelka.

The Devils finally broke the ice when Brett Pesce took the puck from Jack Hughes and whipped a shot wide of goal. But Jesper Bratt was quick on it, bouncing the puck off Barrett Hayton and into the net! Hayton then punched Nico Hischier in the face, but no penalty was called. Still, the Devils were happy to go up 1-0.

After the goal, Luke Glendening had Stefan Noesen on a two-on-one, but he took the shot on goal. It was pretty good, but it trickled wide. On the other end, Markstrom made a great stop on a deflected shot. After a later stoppage, Timo Meier took the puck past Sean Durzi at the blueline and snuck a shot past Vejmelka, giving the Devils a 2-0 lead!

Luke Hughes slashed the stick of Nick Schmaltz with under three minutes to play, and he was called for a penalty on it. The Devils won the faceoff and cleared to start the kill, and the Mammoth had a few chances after setting up before one of their shots rang around the boards and out of the zone. Luke Glendening had a wide-open redirection chance on the other end later in the kill, but he shanked it wide. Markstrom finished the kill by making a huge blocker save on Daniil But before diving across to save a shot from Hayton.

Second Period​

Dylan Guenther broke Dougie Hamilton’s stick with a slash halfway through the first minute of the period, sending the Devils to the power play. Jack Hughes set Stefan Noesen up by the net, but the puck bounced a little too far on the rebound to pot in the net. The Devils kept shooting, but Vejmelka made a stop on Timo Meier in the slot in the second minute to keep the Devils lead at two.

After play returned to five-on-five, the Devils did a great job of slowing play down. By halfway through the period, the Devils were outshooting the Mammoth at more than a two-to-one rate in the period. Connor Brown drew a tripping penalty from Schmaltz with under seven minutes to play after Jonas Siegenthaler got under Utah’s skin with a big hit in the neutral zone, and the Devils had another chance to let their power play work.

The Devils had a chance right off the draw when Hischier passed to Noesen in front, but Noesen was tied up and the puck bounced off his skate into Vejmelka. Halfway through the penalty, Mikhail Sergachev sailed the puck from the defensive zone all the way over the glass in the other end, taking an odd delay of game penalty.

With the two-man advantage, the Devils called timeout. Keefe and Colliton sent Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, and Dougie Hamilton for the five-on-three. The Devils lost the draw and flubbed an easy re-entry, wasting half of the five-on-three. Hughes set up Meier after Hamitlon circled the zone, but Vejmelka got across. The Devils got another shot attempt with the two-man advantage, but it didn’t go. Then, just as Schmaltz left the box, Jack Hughes bounced the puck off Nico Hischier at the far post to get the 3-0 lead!

With over three minutes left in the period, Luke Glendening won the puck back to Dougie Hamilton. Hamilton went right down the wall to the goal line and shot from a sharp angle, scoring right under the bar, behind Vejmelka’s head! It was a perfect shot to make it 4-0.

Third Period​

The New Jersey Devils had one job in the third period: shut it down. In the opening several minutes, they did exactly that, clogging up the neutral zone and making it difficult for the Mammoth to even get past the center ice red line in possession of the puck. Were they generating offense? Not really, but play stayed crisp with just a few whistles before an offsides at the 8:50 mark sent the teams to their first TV timeout of the period, following over five minutes of uninterrupted play. The Devils continually pushed Utah back, content to dump without chases while staying in the neutral zone passing lanes.

Stefan Noesen was called for slashing with under 10 minutes to play after Liam O’Brien gave Brett Pesce some crosschecks on the ice, sending Utah to another power play. The Mammoth were pushed back a few times in the first minute and change, as the Devils continued to look like the dominant performer on special teams. The Devils killed the penalty, but Jacob Markstrom was beat right as Noesen was getting back into the play after a pass went right through Pesce’s legs to Michael Carcone, making it a 4-1 game with over seven minutes to play.

Dawson Mercer just missed on a backhanded try with over two and a half minutes to play after Ian Cole poked the shot, and Ondrej Palat later got a wide open chance to shoot on goal on the rush that he sailed high and wide. Still, the Mammoth were unable to crack Markstrom a second time, and the Devils held on for the 4-1 victory.

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

From Droughts to Opening Floodgates​

Throughout the entire month of December, the New Jersey Devils had a hard time getting goal scoring from their top players, including Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Dawson Mercer, and Dougie Hamilton. Hischier, of course, finally scored his first of the month on New Year’s Eve, meaning his goal today gave him a consecutive scoring streak. Hamilton, coming into today, had not scored in 26 games. Jesper Bratt has been underperforming all season, and Timo Meier had a short drought in the midst of his personal leave during December. Getting goals from four of those five (and almost getting one from Mercer) was a blueprint for how this team should be operating on a regular basis.

Moving forward, the Devils must keep putting Hamilton and Meier in situations where they can score. Meier looks like a leader on the second line with Gritsyuk and Mercer as the go-to puck carrier on the line, while Hamilton looked more comfortable after getting some power play time. There is no sugarcoating it: the Devils have needed more from the five players mentioned above, with Hamilton and Bratt needing to pick it up the most. Hopefully today is a sign of things to come.

Evening Up Ice Time​

With this being the front end of a back-to-back, Sheldon Keefe did a great job of managing minutes this evening. None of the Devils’ forwards broke 20 minutes of ice time, with Jack Hughes leading the way at 19:17. Aside from him, only Bratt (18:38) and Hischier (19:06) had more than 17:00 played. Down the lineup, Luke Glendening ate up 12:12 of ice time today, which is his seventh-highest mark of the season and the first time he broke 12 minutes since December 17 against Vegas (12:07). Keefe stuck with Glendening despite his extremely poor five-on-five impacts, with the Devils only having three shot attempts (and a goal!) during those minutes. On the other hand, I liked the puck movement between Juho Lammikko and Stefan Noesen at times, and I think it might be better if Lammikko had a chance at centering the line.

Good Win​

Sometimes, though, there is not much to complain about. The Devils got out to an early lead today and then played an incredibly responsible game down the stretch. Were there some odd defensive zone turnovers in the middle of the game? Yes, and the Devils might need to be more willing to risk icings at times where they instead turn it over to the blueline. But they played a great game today, and I don’t think Markstrom really had to “steal” all that much for them. He made solid saves, but the defense worked nearly to perfection after taking the lead.

Tomorrow will be a bigger test. Both teams playing will be coming off a game today, but the Devils will have a few hours of extra rest on the Carolina Hurricanes while also having the advantage of being the home team. If Keefe sends the same lineup out tomorrow night, I would be perfectly alright with the decision. The team’s scorers got more shifts off than usual today, so I think they should be fresh enough to repeat this gameplan against Carolina.

Jacob Markstrom’s win today also continues a good run of play for him. Since he was pulled against Tampa in early December, Markstrom is 2-3-0 with a .932 save percentage. Jake Allen will get the start tomorrow, but Devils fans should continue to be cautiously optimistic about Markstrom’s improved play over the past couple weeks. Hopefully, Allen gives us more of the same tomorrow.

Your Thoughts​

What did you think of this evening’s game? Were you able to watch? What did you think of the goal scorers? What did you think of Markstrom’s performance? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...ar-right-with-convincing-4-1-win-over-mammoth

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #41: New Jersey Devils vs. Utah Mammoth

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (21-17-2) versus the Utah Mammoth.

The Time: 3:00pm ET

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

The Game Preview: Matt wrote the 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...methread-41-new-jersey-devils-vs-utah-mammoth

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Own Goals, Dry Offense, and Goalies Out of the Net Lead to Devils’ 3-1 Loss to Hurricanes

First Period​

The Carolina Hurricanes took the lead right off the jump, as Nikolaj Ehlers tipped an early shot off of Jake Allen. It would have stayed out, but Luke Hughes redirected the puck right into the net, giving the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead.

Mark Jankowski left the game just a couple minutes into the period, as he blocked a shot by Timo Meier while being struck by the follow-through of Meier’s shot. Jankowski bled profusely and went immediately to the Hurricanes locker room. Dawson Mercer got his stick caught up in Shayne Gostisbehere’s hands not even a minute later, sending the Hurricanes to the power play.

Nico Hischier had a nice play early in the penalty kill when he banked the puck off the wall and back to himself to beat two Hurricanes for a clear after the three other Devils had gotten caught up on the other half of the defensive zone off the faceoff. Hischier later relieved the Devils with another clearing play at the end of his shift, while also coming up with a blocked shot on the kill.

The Devils nearly caught Bussi out of the net when Dawson Mercer forced him out of the net to play a potential icing play behind the net, and Timo Meier set up Arseni Gritsyuk for a one-timer that Bussi got back in time to save. The Hurricanes temporarily forced the Devils to center, but Mercer went to the front of the net and beat Bussi after Arseni Gritsyuk made a play behind the net to tie the game at 1-1!

The Hurricanes controlled the pace of play down the stretch in the first period, but Jake Allen had an excellent period. Stopping 12 of 13, Allen kept the Devils together after the 10-minute mark. The Devils seemed to lose some of the speed they were playing with in the opening minutes, continually getting hemmed in their own zone because of poor passing and excessive reversals behind the net. Still, it could have been worse.

Second Period​

The Devils did not have a good start in the second period, and Dougie Hamilton took an interference penalty for a shove by the Devils’ net when the team was under pressure. The Devils did a good job of getting the puck down the ice on this kill, doing so twice in the first minute. In the second minute, Jake Allen had to make a couple saves, while Jesper Bratt came up big later on to send the Hurricanes back one last time.

The Devils had a bad start, but things did not get better. Luke Hughes was skating back with the puck in the defensive zone, and Taylor Hall reached around him to poke the puck past Jake Allen, giving the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead.

Sean Walker took the first penalty of the game for Carolina when he was called for high sticking in the neutral zone, as Walker high sticked Jack Hughes as Hughes skated by. Luke Hughes rang a shot off the crossbar to start the power play. The first unit did not do much very well after that, though the second unit had some more life to it. The Devils would not have to play at five-on-five for long after the penalty expired, though, as Cody Glass was tripped up into the boards by Logan Stankoven. The Devils had an extended six-on-five opportunity, but Ondrej Palat was barreled over after having trouble with the puck at the blueline before the Devils could get a shot on goal.

The Devils’ second power play was terrible, with the second unit playing most of the time after Jack Hughes was hit hard into the boards by Jordan Staal. Shortly after that penalty expired, Stankoven was called again for another penalty. This time, he high sticked Nico Hischier in the neutral zone, leading to an extended freakout by Stankoven where he fired the puck down the ice before shouting at Nico Hischier. He probably could have gotten an unsportsmanlike for it, but the Devils went back to the power play.

Third Period​

Jordan Staal airmailed the puck over the glass not even three minutes into the period. On the power play, Jack Hughes sent the puck to the net, and the Devils scrambled in the crease. The net came off the moorings, but the Devils celebrated as if Stefan Noesen pushed the puck into the net. The officials did not make a call on the ice, but they went right to the video review, but they did not award the Devils a goal. To me, it looked like Sean Walker knocked the net off and the Devils would have scored a goal, but the officials ruled no goal.

The Devils had another chance to score off the next draw, as Luke Hughes had his shot deflected by Nico Hischier. Stefan Noesen batted at the puck, but the Hurricanes kept the puck out. The Devils had a decent power play, getting six shots on goal, but they failed to score, and Ondrej Palat took a hooking penalty after their opportunity expired. Thankfully, their penalty kill looked a lot better than their power play, and they were able to kill it.

The Devils were looking better until Jake Allen played the puck one too many times. His pass was broken up by Taylor Hall, who found Logan Stnakoven in front before Allen could get back and down to stop the five-hole goal. That made it 3-1.

Sheldon Keefe pulled Allen with four minutes to play. The Devils did not really up their pace, but they took a couple shots before the Hurricanes sent the puck out of play, off the glass to give them a TV timeout with three and a half minutes to play. After the break, the Devils were able to get some more chances, but the Hurricanes were tough to crack. Then, Luke Hughes was tripped down as he spun away from Andrei Svechnikov with 1:33 to play, leading to the Devils going on the power play.

Keeping the net empty with the power play, the Devils had more trouble keeping the puck in the offensive zone with Carolina able to ice the puck freely. Dawson Mercer had one big chance to pull the Devils to within one off a feed from Timo Meier, but Jalen Chatfield was on him and Bussi made the stop. The Devils then called timeout with under 30 seconds to play. But the Devils couldn’t beat Carolina, falling 3-1.

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

Poor Team Effort​

Yes, Luke Hughes had a bad game. His two plays giving the Hurricanes goals are unacceptable. But they’re just a mask for the reason the Devils lost tonight.

For just a short span of time in the first period, it looked like the Devils were actually playing to match Carolina. By halfway through the first period, I thought each of the Devils’ lines had put in a good shift. But then — right at that halfway mark through that first period, it looked like the Devils stopped playing a game, reducing themselves to scrimmage speed. The pace of their puck movement slowed. They started playing more from a standstill rather than staying in motion. They just did their best to keep the game in front of them, seeing how long they could survive without Jake Allen giving up a goal.

To Allen’s credit, he did never get beat by a clean shot in one of these extended defensive zone shifts for the Devils. But that doesn’t excuse the poor play. The Hurricanes controlled their defensive zone, as the Devils never forechecked. Then, they controlled the neutral zone for most of the game because the Devils let them build up speed to move it through, skating in unison. The Devils just sat back, back, and back, until it was all too easy for the Hurricanes to deny them counterattacks.

By the third period, the only group that looked like it could score was the top line of Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Jack Hughes, looking best on their shifts with Dougie Hamilton and Luke Hughes. But they didn’t score, and the Devils had trouble keeping the puck in the offensive zone in the third period with any other line on the ice. So, combining that with a power play that has been awful since the first couple weeks of the season, the Devils had one of their more pathetic offensive performances.

In the end, Luke Hughes’s mistakes are only the tip of the iceberg for why the Devils lost today. They could have taken the lead on their various power plays, but they have not had a good power play system this season. They could have tried generating five-on-five offense in the first 40 minutes. Instead, they stayed glued to passive, defensive, unskilled hockey for most of the game and only got pressure on Bussi by the time Carolina was free to just clog the middle of the ice.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...the-net-lead-to-devils-3-1-loss-to-hurricanes

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Looking Ahead: The Top 10 Devils Stories Of 2026

Happy 2026! I hope you and yours had a fun and safe New Years Eve and Day. Now that the festivities have died down, it’s time to look ahead to what this fresh year of New Jersey Devils hockey will bring us. Last week, we went over the top 10 Devils storylines of 2025, so I figured we should do the same exercise for 2026. Except, of course, instead of diagnosing the year that just happened, we’ll be prognosticating about the year ahead.

One caveat before we get into it: I’ll try my best not to double up on stories from 2025. Obviously some choices from last week’s edition of this article are longer term stories that could easily make this list, and spoiler alert, this article will contain at least a little redundancy from the 2025 version. But in general, we’re going to try to come up with fresh storylines to watch for.

So with that out of the way, let’s get to what I anticipate will be the biggest, most discussed, most impactful stories of 2026 for the New Jersey Devils.

10. Devils At The Olympics​

For the first time in forever, the NHL will be sending players to the Winter Olympics, and the Devils will have lots of representation. Jack Hughes (USA), Jesper Bratt and Jacob Markstrom (Sweden), Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Jonas Siegenthaler (Switzerland), Simon Nemec (Slovakia), and Ondrej Palat (Czechia) will all be suiting up for their respective home countries in Italy. And while the Olympics might serve as a fun little side quest in the middle of the NHL season that people will be interested in, I’m going to assume lots of (if not most) Devils fans will be mostly keeping an eye on the Olympics to make sure nobody gets seriously hurt. A major injury to someone like Hughes or Hischier or Bratt could completely derail New Jersey’s already tumultuous season.

9. Metropolitan Changing Of The Guard?​

I’ll be very curious to see if the Metropolitan Division experiences some significant shifts in power in 2026. The Hurricanes aren’t going anywhere, but the Capitals, Rangers, and Penguins have reigned at or near the top of the Metro for a long time now, and each of them appears to be on the downswing to varying degrees. The Capitals are aging a little more gracefully but their core is downright ancient. Meanwhile the Rangers have been sliding since last season, and the Penguins are getting dangerously close to bottom-of-the-league territory. On the flip side of the coin, the Blue Jackets have a ton of young talent that could pop soon. The Islanders turned over their front office over the summer, traded franchise defenseman Noah Dobson for lots of draft capital, and now have Matthew Schaefer potentially leading them to big things. And the Flyers have been bad since the Covid Bubble Playoffs of 2020, but they too have young talent emerging. This doesn’t have to do with the Devils directly, but the state of the rest of the division obviously impacts them significantly. So I’ll be curious to see how things look at the end of this season and the beginning of the next one.

8. The Next Generation​

By next generation, I’m referring to the next wave of prospects. If I had to guess, Mikhail Yegorov and Lenni Hameenaho are the two prospects that Devils fans are most excited about, with Anton Silayev close behind. There’s also Seamus Casey (if you can still call him a prospect), Nico Daws (ditto), Ethan Edwards, and Shane Lachance at the top of the prospect pool. New Jersey has to hope a few of those players turn into solid contributors at some point, and frankly, one of them needs to turn into at least a borderline star if the Devils want to keep up with the rest of the NHL as the current core ages. The state of the pool will be a big story to keep an eye on as 2026 goes on.

7. Markstrom Bounceback?​

Jacob Markstrom had an awful start to the 2025-26 season, which made it even more baffling that general manager Tom Fitzgerald extended him when he did. Through his first 16 games of the season (a stretch that included a trip to IR), Markstrom posted a ghastly .875 save percentage. This culminated in his worst game of the season on December 11 in Tampa Bay, when he allowed three goals on seven shots and was pulled in the first period, en route to an 8-4 loss for the Devils. But since that catastrophe against the Lightning, Markstrom has quietly been excellent. In five games since, he’s posted a .932 save percentage to help get his season back on track. We obviously need to see more before we declare that Markstrom is back, but his performance in the second half of this season (as well as the 2026 portion of next season) will be a huge story to watch. A lot of the Devils’ future success depends on Markstrom.

6. Playoffs?​

This of course will be a major plot thread into the spring. Will New Jersey make the playoffs this season? It seemed like a foregone conclusion after they rattled off an eight-game winning streak in October. But a raft of injuries and incredibly poor offensive performance has since conspired to torpedo the Devils’ season. Certainly not to the point where a playoff berth is out of reach, but enough to make us all question whether New Jersey actually has what it takes to get back to the dance. Which, quite frankly, is unacceptable with a core this talented, but that’s a story for another day. New Jersey has not made the postseason in back-to-back seasons since 2008-09 and 2009-10, which is complete insanity. If they fail to make the playoffs this season, I get the feeling we will finally see serious changes in this organization.

5. Trade Deadline, Entry Draft, And Free Agency​

We’re now getting into the territory of storylines that could have huge long-term ramifications, as opposed to single-year stories. I’m lumping all of these together because they’re big stories every year, and they all revolve around player acquisition, so they seem like a natural fit to group them up. With the trade deadline a few months away, we’ll see if Tom Fitzgerald is actually capable of doing his job, or if he’ll be too scared and/or too hamstrung by his own NMC obsession to add the offensive talent this team is desperate for. Then in the offseason, I’m sure we’ll all have a lot of fun speculating on and analyzing the NHL draft and the opening of free agency. All these avenues toward reshaping the team will be a big story to watch in 2026.

4. Second Contracts For Simon Nemec And Arseny Gritsyuk​

Simon Nemec and Arseny Gritsyuk are impending restricted free agents at the end of the season. Your mileage may vary on how highly you think of each of them, but there’s no denying that they are big parts of the Devils’ next wave of young talent. Because both players are in the final years of the deals, they are both eligible to sign an extension at any time (Nemec became eligible over the summer, Gritsyuk became eligible on January 1). Whether it happens in-season or during the offseason, potential extensions for Nemec and Gritsyuk will have massive impacts on the Devils’ future.

3. Quinn Hughes’ Contract Situation​

We talked about him in last week’s story, and I hate going back to the well here, but it’s a story too big to ignore. Quinn Hughes, now of the Minnesota Wild in case you’ve forgotten, will have one year remaining on his current deal after this season. It will be fascinating to see what this summer holds for the eldest Hughes, as he becomes eligible to sign an extension on July 1. The timeframe I’ll be keeping an eye on the most is July 1-September 15. Why September 15? Because the new Collective Bargaining Agreement begins on September 16. A major part of that new CBA is lowering the maximum contract length from eight years to seven years for players re-signing with their own team, and from seven years to six years for players signing with a new team. That means the Wild can offer something to Quinn that nobody else can: Potentially two extra seasons of security and money. There is a HUGE difference in money a star player can secure on an eight-year deal versus a six-year deal, so don’t be surprised to see Quinn take that windfall if Minnesota offers it to him over the summer. The entire Quinn Hughes saga might not be completed by September 15, but it will be a highly intriguing time to watch what happens with him. Either way, whether Quinn ends up with New Jersey or not in the near future, we’ll get plenty of answers on that front in 2026.

2. Tom Fitzgerald’s Future​

Another story that we touched in the 2025 edition of this piece, and in that version, I had Fitzgerald’s performance and job security as the number one story of 2025. But for 2026, there is one story more important than that, which we’ll get to momentarily. As for Fitzgerald, I won’t go over every detail again since we did a lot of that last time. Just know that this will be a huge story to monitor for obvious reasons. Will Fitzgerald get his walking papers at some point in 2026? If so, the search for the next general manager will of course have a massive impact on the organization, from the players to the coaches to the rest of the front office. On the other hand, if Fitzgerald stays, his actions entering 2026-27 will come under intense focus. Will he do more of the same, or will he actually get out of his comfort zone and take some bold action? Time will tell, and it will be a major story to keep an eye on.

1. Nico Hischier Becomes Eligible For A Contract Extension​

To me, this is the no-doubt top story to watch in 2026. Fitzgerald’s future is important, but it’s not close to Nico Hischier’s future. The captain of this team, the heartbeat of this team, and one of the best players in the NHL, Hischier will be entering the final year of his long-term deal that he signed under the late, great Ray Shero. As such, he will be eligible for a contract extension on July 1. Like we talked about with Quinn Hughes, Hischier will have a window between July 1-September 15 where he can sign an eight-year extension. If he doesn’t sign an extension before September 16, the Devils can only offer him a maximum of seven years on a new deal. This story could potentially spill into 2027 if Fitzgerald isn’t proactive enough to get this done. If he is wise, he will make it so this is a major storyline for 2026 and 2026 only.

Final Thoughts And Your Take​

I’m sure I omitted some important storylines, but to me, these are the top stories to watch in 2026. We might not get closure on all of them, but even if we don’t, that in and of itself will cause ripple effects for the Devils organization.

What do you think of this list? What stories would you move up or down? What stories did I miss that you would put on the list? As always, thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...oking-ahead-the-top-10-devils-stories-of-2026

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 1/5/26: They’re Booing Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

Jesper Bratt tallied a couple points, Dougie Hamilton scored for the first time in forever and the Devils took a 4-1 win over the Mammoth on Saturday. [Devils NHL]

Then on Sunday, Luke Hughes had a rough outing (and got booed), the Devils scored one goal and lost to the Hurricanes, 3-1. [Devils NHL]

On the booing:

Full quote from Allen on Luke Hughes | #NJDevils https://t.co/hnXa0lKhyX pic.twitter.com/rl8LOwX2Fm

— James Nichols (@JamesNicholsNHL) January 5, 2026

Luke Hughes talks after the game:

View Link

On Johnathan Kovacevic:

Know there's been some chatter about Johnathan Kovacevic's TRUE health status/whether the NHL might investigate the #NJDevils for LTIR circumvention.

I got deputy commissioner Bill Daly to weigh in on that below

“We are aware of Kovacevic’s physical condition and prognosis.…

— Ryan Novozinsky (@ryannovoNHL) January 2, 2026

“The New Jersey Devils’ poor roster construction has been exposed this season ad nauseam, with the predominant focus on the abysmal finishing plaguing the entire team. The bigger issue in pertinence to the team’s roster, though, is in the lack of a true No. 1 defenseman, despite having the second-most expensive blueline in the NHL also sporting two former top-five picks.” [Infernal Access ($)]

Jack talks about Team USA here:

Asked Jack Hughes about the brace he wears, Team USA#NJDevilshttps://t.co/hoODhgpFWV

— Ryan Novozinsky (@ryannovoNHL) January 2, 2026

Hockey Links​

We have Olympic hockey rosters! A rundown of players for the USA, Sweden, Finland and Canada teams here: [ESPN]

Alex Wennberg gets a three-year deal:

#sjsharks have re-signed Alex Wennberg: 3 years x $6 million = $18 million.#TheFutureIsTeal

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) January 4, 2026

Logan Stanley gets a one-game suspension:

Winnipeg’s Logan Stanley has been suspended for one game for roughing Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk. https://t.co/oBpWi4FMdP

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 4, 2026

Chris Tanev’s season may be over:

Some tough #LeafsForever news: Chris Tanev's regular-season may be over. Per sources, Tanev is meeting with a surgeon in the coming week to determine next steps. If they move forward with surgery, he is expected to be out until late-April/early-May.

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) January 4, 2026

Auston Matthews tops the goals list in Toronto:

Auston Matthews: Toronto Maple Leafs All-Time Goals Leader pic.twitter.com/LrsWzBq1jU

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 4, 2026

“Entering 2025-26, the NHL was trending downward in terms of PP shots. In 2024-25, there were 10,118 shots taken on the power play. That was down from 11,998 in 2023-24. In 2022-23, there were 12,247. Through Thursday, teams were on pace to take 11,287 shots by the conclusion of 2025-26. Time will tell whether this is a midseason blip or a real turn. It may be because teams were averaging 3.0 power-play opportunities per game, up from 2.7 in 2024-25.” [The Athletic ($)]

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-1-5-26-theyre-booing-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

New Jersey Devils Prospect Update: Utica Splits Weekend Games Against Rockets

Ethan Edwards was the star of the win, while LaChance, Hameenaho, and Vilen all picked up goals this weekend.

Friday​

On Friday, the Comets lost in Overtime 5-4 to Laval. Nico Daws earned the loss in this one, stopping 35 of 40. The Comets offense was lead by Brian Halonen, who scored twice. Hameenaho and Crookshank scored the other two goals. Defenseman Seamus Casey and center Kyle Criscuolo each picked up two assists with Crookshank adding an assist for a two-point night effort.

Saturday​

On Saturday, goaltender Jakub Malek held down the fort for his third win of the season, 4-3 over Laval. Defenseman Ethan Edwards scored two goals less than a minute apart in the third period to secure the win. Shane LaChance and Topias Vilen scored the other two tallies. Winger Lenni Hameenaho remained red hot with an assist on Edwards’s first goal. Prospects Josh Filmon and Seamus Casey also picked up assists.

Here’s a look at the game winner.

“Another one.”

Ethan Edwards 2x gives Utica a lead again. pic.twitter.com/AoUMZcWx9C

— Ben Birnell (@BB_URSentinel) January 4, 2026

Around the Pool:​

• Winger Kasper Pikkarainen was the only Devils prospect to participate in the World Juniors this year, playing a limited role for Team Finland, but showcasing his speed and toughness. Pikkarainen has been playing catch up on his development after a serious injury nearly derailed his career last season. This year, the 19-year-old winger has three assists in 25 games for TPS of the Liiga. The goalless drought isn’t for lack of effort. Pikkarainen has gone 0-48 on shots on goal this season.
• Goaltender Veeti Louhivaara has settled into the net for the Chicago Steel of the USHL after being acquired late last year. Louihivaara has 0-1-2 record, 2.90 GAA and .920 SV% so far for his new team. The record and goals against is unsurprising given the Steel’s position at the bottom of the standings of the Eastern Conference.

Your Take​

Post your comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/p...te-utica-splits-weekend-games-against-rockets

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Change Must Come: New Jersey Devils Embarrass Themselves In 9-0 Loss To New York Islanders

The New Jersey Devils hit rock bottom tonight.

They got blown out 8-4 by the Colorado Avalanche on October 28. They had an epic meltdown against the Philadelphia Flyers in a 6-3 loss on November 22. They lost 4-1 to a terrible Bruins team that was missing David Pastrnak and Charlie MacAvoy on December 6. They got completely outclassed in an 8-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 11. They suffered a gigantic gut punch thanks to a very late goal in a 2-1 loss to the Islanders on December 23. And they looked lifeless in a 4-0 defeat to a bad Maple Leafs team that was without Auston Matthews and William Nylander on December 30. Heck, just last game they allowed two own-goals and a third that was close to it in a terrible 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes.

Those losses were all very bad. But there is no question that tonight was by far the worst.

The New Jersey Devils lost 9-0 to the New York Islanders on Tuesday. Yes, 9-0. That’s not a typo, and that’s not your eyes deceiving you. The Devils actually found a way to lose a hockey game by nine goals this evening. They allowed Mat Barzal to score 68 seconds into the game, and that was that. It didn’t matter that there were 59 minutes left to play, the Devils never seriously threatened to win this game. They put up some shots, they had a smattering of chances, but nothing particularly threatening to Ilya Sorokin.

Actually I take that back. There was one chance that seriously threatened to get past Sorokin. I’ll get to that in a bit, because it’s a meaningful moment from tonight.

If you didn’t watch the game, you might be thinking to yourself that the Devils couldn’t have played too poorly based on the shot totals tonight. After all, New Jersey outshot New York by a total of 44-24. That’s some domination right there! But tonight was one of those nights where the shot totals don’t tell the story. Much of that damage was done after the game was long decided. You can’t look at the advanced numbers either for the same reason, although you can tell a little bit more from those stats. What exactly can you tell? How about the fact that at 5-on-5 in the first period, the Devils out-attempted the Islanders 22-9, outshot them 11-6, and won the Scoring Chances battle 9-3…and despite all that, they only won the High Danger Corsi battle 1-0 and posted 0.66 Expected Goals. That’s what I mean when I say you can’t look at the shot totals or some of the advanced numbers, and it’s also what I mean when I say the Devils never really threatened to get into this game. They put up a lot of shots and some chances, but almost all of them were from the perimeter, with no traffic in front, with no rebounds to be had, with no sustained possession, with no fight whatsoever.

New Jersey did post some sparkling numbers after the first period too, but again, those aren’t worth paying attention to. It doesn’t matter that they outshot the Islanders by a wide margin, because the game was already over. It doesn’t matter that New Jersey’s xGF% was through the roof, because the game was already over. It doesn’t matter that the Devils racked up a ton of offensive zone time, because the game was already over. When the game was up for grabs, New Jersey played terribly. When the game was over, New Jersey gave the superficial appearance of competence.

And then, of course, there’s Jacob Markstrom.

Where do I even begin with Markstrom? How about the fact that he allowed a goal on the first shot he faced tonight? How about the fact that he allowed a goal on the second shot he faced tonight? How about the fact that he allowed three goals on the first four shots he faced tonight? How about the fact that, for as bad as the skaters played in front of him, Markstrom was the worst Devil on the ice tonight, which is saying something.

Since his debacle against the Lightning on December 11, Markstrom was quietly putting together a stretch of brilliant goaltending. That ended in spectacular fashion this evening, as he never gave his team a chance to win. Granted, they almost certainly weren’t winning anyway, but Markstrom was at the very top of the list of reasons why they did not win. Which, again, is saying something considering how pathetic the skaters played.

I don’t know why Sheldon Keefe didn’t yank him at some point. He should have done so after the third goal, and when he didn’t do that, he should have done so after the fourth goal, and when he didn’t do that, he should have done so after the fifth goal, and when he didn’t do that, he should have done so after the sixth goal.

And then after Markstrom allowed that sixth goal, he allowed three more.

Yet Markstrom remained in net, like an MLB longman being asked to “wear it” on a night when the starter didn’t have it and the bullpen had a lot of unavailable arms. Who knows, maybe Keefe wanted to send a message by keeping Markstrom in front of the firing squad. I don’t know what message that would be, but hey it’s a possibility.

But if Keefe doesn’t actually have a message for Markstrom or the rest of his team, I do: Enough is enough.

To Sheldon Keefe and Tom Fitzgerald and the captain Nico Hischier and the rest of this organization, something has to change. This team has hit rock bottom, and the scary part is, it’s possible they might keep digging. At one point in the second period, a Devils fan (presumably) threw a Devils jersey onto the ice. A P.K. Subban sweater to be exact, which was fitting considering the man himself was on the call for ESPN. Not that he nor play-by-play man Steve Levy had any clue what they were talking about most of the night, especially Levy, but that’s a story for another day. In any case, the Devils sweater resting on the ice was the perfect encapsulation of tonight’s game.

Actually that’s not true. I can think of two other moments from this evening that capture tonight better. One of them came in the dying moments of the second period. The game was long over with the Islanders leading 5-0 and the Devils hopeless to do anything about it. New Jersey did have a power play going on as the period was winding down though, and in the final seconds, Dougie Hamilton wound up for a one-timer from the top of the circle. And JG Pageau slid across to block the shot. That, right there, is what the Devils have been missing: a player willing to give max effort at any time. The game was not in doubt anymore, yet Pageau was still playing his rear-end off. New Jersey could use some players who play with that level of pride.

And the other moment that perfectly captures this game was the one I alluded to earlier. The one chance that seriously threatened to beat Sorokin tonight.

Midway through the second period, the Devils actually sustained a little zone time and put some pressure on the Isles’ goal. It culminated in Connor Brown scooping up a loose puck and wrapping around the net. He had all day and night, with no defender close to him and Sorokin way out of position. It was an easy tap-in on his backhand.

And Connor Brown flubbed the shot and did not score:

Pain pic.twitter.com/whXdm4FdHl

— Devils Insiders (@DevilsInsiders) January 7, 2026

As far as I’m concerned, this is not only the defining image of this game, this is the defining image of the entire season.

I have finally reached my breaking point. I want Tom Fitzgerald fired before I wake up tomorrow. I want Sheldon Keefe fired before he gets on the team bus. Who replaces them? It doesn’t matter, because the replacements can’t be any worse. Meanwhile, I want Palat and Hamilton healthy scratched until they accept a trade out of town. I want ownership to threaten Nico Hischier with stripping him of his captaincy. I want Jacob Markstrom waived and Nico Daws called up. I want scorched earth on this pathetic, unprofessional band of quitters.

All that being said, I know I’m just screaming into the void here. Fitzgerald and Keefe will not be fired anytime soon. Palat and Hamilton will be in the lineup next game. Hischier is in no danger of having his captaincy taken from him. Markstrom isn’t going anywhere. And the fact that no actual changes are coming makes it all so sad. I am tired of watching this team sink, and I am tired of nobody having any answers.

The New Jersey Devils have hit rock bottom, and I don’t think they are capable of climbing out of it.

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

Too Little, Too Late​

I only have one more piece of information I feel is worth mentioning tonight. It involves everyone’s favorite veteran winger, Ondrej Palat.

After years of letting Palat woefully underperform his contract with no consequences, after years of keeping an “A” on his jersey with no thought of stripping that honor from him, after suffering the indignity of a terrible player refusing to waive his no-trade clause and not even healthy scratching him to send a message, Sheldon Keefe has FINALLY had enough:

Five minutes left in the second period and #NJDevils Ondrej Palat has been benched since his lone shift that ended 3:29 into the period.

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) January 7, 2026

According to the shift chart on Natural Stat Trick, Palat got exactly one shift in the second period. He didn’t play that much in the third period either, and finished the night at 9:39 of ice time.

I have no clue why Keefe and the Devils organization decided that tonight was finally the night to do something about Palat. Honestly, it feels like a slap in the face to Devils fans. He should have been demoted or healthy scratched or stripped of his “A” a long time ago. Doing it tonight is way too little, way too late, and it almost feels like Keefe thinks we’re stupid. It feels as if he’s doing something about it now to “prove” he’s holding his players accountable, thinking it’ll fool us into buying in. Sorry Sheldon, the Titanic is still sinking no matter how much the deck chairs have been rearranged. We’re not fooled, we’re just insulted.

Next Time Out​

The Devils’ next game is on Thursday, when they travel to Pittsburgh to battle the Penguins. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00pm.

Your Take​

I’m not even going to ask what you thought of tonight’s game, because I already know the answer. Enjoy the comments section, everyone. See you Thursday.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...-themselves-in-9-0-loss-to-new-york-islanders