Why the New Jersey Devils are crushing the competition
Talk about a glow-up.
Given the team’s moves in recent years to turn things around, and despite having two first overall picks two years apart, the New Jersey Devils had a dismal 2021-22, finishing 28th and snagging the second overall pick at the NHL Draft. Jack Hughes missed half the season, the goaltending was horrible and they weren’t good enough to outscore the competition when they couldn’t rely on their back end.
And now they sit second place in the NHL, killing everyone’s pre-season predictions.
New Jersey’s rise from bottom-feeder to absolute predator is one of the NHL’s biggest surprises this season. And after 16 games, we can’t call it a small sample size, either: this team is genuinely good. They’re in the midst of a 10-game winning streak ahead of their meeting with Toronto on Thursday. There’s an argument to be made that they’ve beaten some low-tier squads – Montreal, Arizona, Vancouver, Ottawa and Columbus have been part of the run – and that’s fair. But they’ve also beaten Colorado, Edmonton and Calgary along the way – teams that, on paper, should have had no issue coming out on top.
This lineup isn’t radically different from last year’s. But Vitek Vanecek is now the team’s starting goalie after leaving Washington, and John Marino has been an absolute steal after coming over in a trade with Pittsburgh. Vanecek was brought over to give the team some stability after using seven goalies last year, all of whom struggled mightily. Through 10 games, Vanecek has a 7-1-0 record with a shutout to his credit. At 5-on-5, he has a .921 save percentage, so we can say he’s getting the job done. Some of his more advanced analytics are mid-level, but he’s still stable enough to snag two points nearly every night.
Marino, though, is playing more like he did when he exploded onto the scene as a rookie in 2019-20. He has eight points in 16 games, he’s been an absolute two-way warrior who has done a great job of getting the puck out of his zone. After struggling at points in Pittsburgh, he’s looking like a legitimate top-four defenseman – and it only cost a third-round pick and Ty Smith, who’s currently playing in the AHL.
Nice work, Tom Fitzgerald.
Marino’s early play is a nice bonus for a team that has gotten some good hockey out of Dougie Hamilton, Damon Severson, Ryan Graves and Jonas Siegenthaler. So add in Marino, and this group is deeper defensively than we’ve seen in recent years, which is crucial when you haven’t been able to rely on goaltending in the past.
Jack Hughes has 15 points in his past 10 games, Jesper Bratt is 12th in the league, scoring 21 points in 16 games, and Nico Hischier has 17 in 15. The team has needed to get creative after losing Ondrej Palat long-term, but Dawson Mercer, Miles Wood, Tomas Tatar, and, to a lesser extent, Nathan Bastian and Michael McLeod have stepped up to produce along the way.
At 5-on-5, the Devils are second in the NHL with a Corsi-for percentage of 59.65, are the only team to cross over 60 percent in shots-for percentage (62.11), and own the top spot in goals-for percentage with 63.24. Bratt, Tatar, Hamilton and Erik Haula are all in the top 15 in Corsi-for percentage, while Hischier, Siegenthaler and Tatar sit in the top 15 in goals-for percentage at 5-on-5. Their ability to control scoring chances during this stretch is why they’re so successful.
For a team that, in the past few years, was looking to not get embarrassed up front, having the depth they have now up front is huge. Bratt can play anywhere in the lineup. Hughes has had chemistry with so many different wingers. They’ve got a bad-you-know-what fourth line. They out-score you. They out-defend you. So basic, but it’s why they’ve been unstoppable all month long.
When you dig deeper into the talent this group possesses, it’s not that they’re playing above expectations: the team’s key players are playing exactly as they should. The Devils are fast, skilled and thriving in nearly all facets of the game. It’s easily one of the best stretches in franchise history, marking just the third time they’ve hit double digits in a win streak. Their record was 13 in 2000-01, which is doable again if they can overcome Toronto on Thursday.
The Devils play Toronto twice, Ottawa and Edmonton over the next week, so the schedule will ramp up a bit. This will be the team’s strongest test of the season, and one they’re capable of piling through. This is a good club, and while it’s too early to think about the playoffs, you can’t ask for much of a better start.
Devils fans deserve this. After years of struggles and a few glimmering signs of hope falling by the wayside, this team is finally starting to show it means business.
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