The New Jersey Devils look like the best team in the NHL. Since their 6-1 opening night loss, they’ve won six games in a row to boast the best record in the league. It’s not just the record. They’ve beaten some of the league’s best teams in the process, including the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers.
Better yet, they are playing great across the board. The offense is scoring 4.00 goals per game while Jack Hughes looks like a Hart Trophy-caliber player. The defense is allowing only 2.57 goals per game, with Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon giving the group speed and size to match up with anyone. It’s early in the season but this version of the Devils looks like the best in years. It’s why they must pad on the wins now, especially considering how the season will play out.
Devils Must Prepare For The Inevitable Slump
The Devils look unbeatable at the moment. That’s what six wins in a row will do. The reality is they will struggle at some point. The season is long, and every team goes through peaks and valleys. The Devils are at their peak, or at least one of them, but eventually will start seeing the losses pile up.
The surprise is that it hasn’t happened yet. Injuries usually cause this team to fall apart, and in the past, the loss of a key player would be this team’s undoing. Yet, the Devils keep winning even with Evgenii Dadonov, Jonathan Kovacevic, and Jacob Markstrom out of the lineup. To be fair, these players aren’t the stars like Jack Hughes or Dougie Hamilton. That said, they are core parts of the roster and the Devils keep winning without them.
The Devils just played some of their toughest competition of the season. They face the San Jose Sharks, one of the worst teams in the NHL, followed by a home-and-home against the Colorado Avalanche, then a road game against the Sharks. This is where they can give themselves a cushion in the Metropolitan Division and separate themselves from the pack.
The Arms Race With The Hurricanes
The way the division is shaping up, it’s the Devils and the Carolina Hurricanes at the top. The Hurricanes are 5-1, and like the Devils, they will be great all season and fighting for the top spot in the division. These two teams finished in the top three last season, and this season looks no different.
The Devils must play this season with the Hurricanes in mind. That means earning the top spot at the end of the season to have an easier path through the playoffs. It also means that they need a team that can beat the Hurricanes. The Devils must have a team that can win in multiple ways and control the pace of play, something the recent stretch has shown.
This is a team that will presumably make the playoffs and be near the top of the standings as well. It will be them and the Hurricanes at the top. The Hurricanes have had their number, not just with the opening night 6-3 result but in the playoffs as well, with an 8-2 record in the past two meetings. The Devils are expected to compete for the Cup, and it’s about having a team that can beat their divisional rival and the other elite teams in the Eastern Conference.
Devils Look Like a Complete Team, Will They Need a Splash?
The recent stretch answered all the lingering questions about the Devils. They entered the season with the perception that they are a good and exciting team that will have plenty of highlight moments but not a great one that can go on a playoff run. The first seven games and a hot start have shown that they can.
- Get offense at the point.
- Find depth scoring and lots of it (Connor Brown and Dawson Mercer have scored six goals and added five assists to the middle six).
- Play great defense and shut teams down.
- Have good enough goaltending to the point where Jake Allen can carry the workload in the net, even with Jacob Markstrom out.
It’s this start that raises the question of whether the Devils should make a big move or not. They have a great team, one that will be in the Cup conversation. Do they need a player or two who put them over the hump? Ideally, a third-line center who can play in the top six is what they need. Likewise, another power forward on the wing is something they can use even with Timo Meier playing at a high level.
It’s early in the season but the Devils are making the fans think of the big picture. The vibes are high, and the question is how good this team can be. The hot start suggests they can do something special.
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