The New Jersey Devils have won five in a row, something they haven’t done since that stretch from January 7-16, 2023, when they defeated the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.
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During this stretch, the Devils have defeated some formidable teams, including two Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers, as well as the Edmonton Oilers, who advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in the last two years. In addition to those teams, they beat an excellent Columbus Blue Jackets team and a perennial playoff team in the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night by a score of 5-3 behind Jack Hughes’ hat trick.
This is a gruelling schedule for this young yet mature team to start the season. As Devils President and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald said on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio this past Saturday with Ryan Paton and Davide Pagnotta, the start of the season was a good measuring stick to where his team stacks up against the rest of the league.
When you looked at our schedule, you said Wow. It was the gauntlet of schedules. Like when you start with Carolina and they go to Tampa. Columbus is a really good team, and we know this well because how many times you play them—the home opener against the Stanley Cup champs. You got (Connor) McDavid and (Leon) Draisaitl tonight (Saturday night). You go to Toronto on Tuesday. A really solid, Wild team on Wednesday, waiting for us. And then San Jose comes in, who continues to grow and get better. And then you get back-to-back games, home and home with the Colorado Avalanche.
The fact that the New Jersey Devils rebounded so well after a poor performance in Game 1 of the season against the Carolina Hurricanes demonstrates the mental attitude this team brought into the season. Once again, the Devils are dealing with injuries to Stefan Noesen, Jacob Markstrom, Seamus Casey, Evgenii Dadonov, and Marc McLaughlin.
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Even with Noesen, Dadonov, and Markstrom out of the lineup, the Devils are still getting solid goaltending with Jake Allen in between the pipes. Nico Daws will get his first game action on Wednesday night against the Wild. But New Jersey has the depth in their lineup to overcome the injuries, something it didn’t have in years past.
Look at what Luke Glendening has done for the team in the faceoff dot. Connor Brown, who is underrated according to many NHL scouts, possesses deceptive speed and a skill set that can be utilized anywhere up and down the lineup. He has found something with Cody Glass and Arseny Gritsyuk.
It is a balanced lineup from top to bottom, with each line complementing the others so well. All phases are clicking, including the penalty kill, which is 18-for-18 so far on this young season. The players also have a better mindset when it comes to what to expect from their head coach.
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Sheldon Keefe has been hard on his team in practices and training camp, but he knows the potential is there for the team to play the right way. And as former Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador mentioned on the broadcast on Tuesday night, the Devils are winning these games in different ways. It doesn’t matter what style their opponent is throwing at them; the players can adjust their game to match it and emerge victorious.
“It’s a great test for us. This is how you want to be measured. You want to be measured early against the best teams in the league, and really, kind of see what we’re made of them,” Fitzgerald continued.
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Again, that might not have been something they would have done in years past. Maybe the moment would have been too big for the players. But that is why you have players with Stanley Cup experience, such as Ondrej Palat, Noesen, Brown, Dougie Hamilton, Allen, and others, to keep an even keel not only in the room but also on the ice.
Not to mention players like Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, Dawson Mercer, and Luke Hughes are a little wiser. There is no panic in their game if things don’t go their way early on. If they stick with their systems, the offense will come.
Right now, the New Jersey Devils are on the right side of victories as they continue to measure themselves against some of the best teams in the NHL.
