The New Jersey Devils are right where they are supposed to be, battling the Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot in the Metro Division. New Jersey is riding a seven-game win streak, something they have not done since their 13-game winning streak from October 25 to November 21, 2022, as they take on the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.
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The Devils continue to pass early-season tests with their gauntlet of a schedule. But what’s really impressive is how the Devils have gotten to this seven-game winning streak. It does not matter the style of game their opponent wants to play; the Devils match it and then surpass it to victory.
Take, for example, the game Friday night against the San Jose Sharks. That could have been a letdown game for the Devils after their victories over the Toronto Maple Leafs and Minnesota Wild earlier in the week. New Jersey could have taken the Sharks lightly, like the New York Rangers did on Thursday night.
Good teams know how to find a way to win games when they don’t start great. Also they also know how to win games when they don’t play their best.
The Devils are finding diff ways to win which is something you couldn’t say last year. They found diff ways to lose #njdevils
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) October 25, 2025
But good teams find a way to beat inferior opponents on the schedule when they don’t have their A-game on a particular night. New Jersey saw their B-game and were content to win with it, knowing they can improve as the season goes on. As Sheldon Keefe told the media on Friday night, the Sharks game was one the Devils lost last season.
“Yeah, I mean, we lost this exact game last season for the most part,” Keefe said. “If I recall, their goaltender made a ton of saves, and we couldn’t really score, and we ended up losing. But yeah, you got to find a way.”
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It was not a great start for the Devils after the back-to-back wins against Minnesota and Toronto. Another first-period penalty leads to a goal, as the penalty kill streak of 21 straight kills gets snapped. Keefe again mentioned the team’s starts and how he wants them to be better. However, you can see the mentality is different this season.
In years past, that 1-0 lead for the Sharks turned into 2-0 or maybe 3-0 because the Devils were pressuring them, not scoring. Yaroslav Askarov was good for San Jose and earned the third star of the night. But the Devils stuck to the process and didn’t let frustrations boil over into their play. The players remained with the systems and knew goals were going to come.
It also helps when you limit the Sharks to only 17 shots and none in the second period. Jake Allen may have preferred the work, but when the Devils needed him, especially in the third period, he was there to come up with the monster saves.
It all goes back to what captain Nico Hischier told SiriusXM NHL Network Radio during the NHL/NHLPA European Player Tour: the team has high standards and understands that playing a consistent 60-minute game is the most important thing for success this season. Not to mention the players buying into what Keefe believes this team can do every time they take to the ice, when they put their gear on.
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That is the maturity in the New Jersey Devils game this season. When they don’t play their best at the start of the game, they look themselves in the mirror and know they can be better. Let’s simplify our game and get back to what we know best to win.
“There’s going to be times when the guys don’t feel good on the ice,” Allen continued. “That’s when you simplify things and find ways to get it done. I think that just shows a lot of growth.”
However, once again, the Sharks game shows the team’s maturity in sticking with it or “trusting the process.” It is a good sign when the New Jersey Devils don’t have their best and still dig deep to win a game they might have easily lost.
