The Devils At The Break: They Need One
A team on a 5-3 run might not be eager for a break in the action.
Don’t be fooled by that record, Devils fans. The two-week hiatus while the hockey world settles in for the 4 Nations Face-Off couldn’t have come at a more opportune moment in the season.
New Jersey’s 4-0 whitewashing at Montreal on Saturday afternoon behind goalie Jake Allens’ 34 saves shouldn’t be taken as a harbinger of good times ahead. The Devils haven’t lost in that building since 2018, becoming the first NHL team ever to win ten consecutive games there.
To the contrary, only one of those last eight opponents (Vegas) is currently sitting in a playoff position, making the run-up to the break somewhat disappointing.
But not altogether unexpected, given the sudden injury plague that has cost the team its captain and leading goal scorer Nico Hischier, third-line center Erik Haula, No. 1 goalie Jacob Markstrom, and shutdown defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler for extended periods. Only Haula has returned to action during this stretch. Considering the league-wide secrecy policy over injuries, one can never assume the others’ return-to-play timelines, but having two weeks without any games can only be considered fortuitous.
More problematic is the deterioration in the Devils’ two-way game since the last time the team was subjected to a “mini” break of three days off around Christmas. Back then, New Jersey was rolling, dominating puck possession and suppressing shots like madmen.
Almost every NHL team goes through a rut or three during a marathon 82-game schedule. The Devils, however, allowed the rut to morph into a ditch. They have gone 7-9-3 in a stretch almost equivalent to a quarter of a season. It has allowed those clubs in the lower rung to creep within a couple of games of pushing New Jersey into a Wild Card seed.
The good news is that the Devils had built up a decent cushion such that home ice in the first round is well within reach—they are two points behind Carolina, who has a game in hand, for second place in the Metropolitan Division.
Of course, getting healthy is only the first step towards getting the season back on track for a productive playoff run. General Manager Tom Fitzgerald and Head Coach Sheldon Keefe probably got a little too comfortable with the early success, dismissing the flaws such as inadequate depth scoring. The overreliance on Hischier to do everything—he had taken over 50% of the team’s defensive zone faceoffs up to his injury during New Jersey’s last visit to Montreal on January 25, per NHL.com—has exposed the club’s dire need for an upgrade over Haula. Stagnation equals death during an arms race.
As I’ve noted previously, this is not a young team. Before Simon Nemec replaced Siegenthaler in the lineup on Thursday, the only skaters under 25 have been Dawson Mercer and the Hughes brothers. The once-flush prospect pipeline, while not dry, is no longer overflowing.
Make no mistake, this is a win-now team. To proceed as if the window will be open beyond this season would be making the same mistake the Devils did when they qualified for the playoffs in 2018 and 2023. The future doesn’t belong to anyone.
So let’s focus on the present. The Devils are pretty much right where they want to be, but the job isn’t finished. Get some legitimate help in the middle six and demand discipline with their puck play, including from Jack Hughes. No more games off against the lower tier, because every point lost can be impactful in the final standings.
We’ll see if this break does the Devils some good this time.