3 Keys to the Devils Finding Early Success in 2026-27

After months filled with anticipation and high expectations, the New Jersey Devils opened the 2026-27 season at home on Thursday night. Their hard-fought battle went to overtime, and the team came away with a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Defense led the charge early on, with goals from Dougie Hamilton and Luke Hughes to pull the club out of a deficit. The game-winner came from Jack Hughes, complete with a stick toss over the glass.

With one win under their belts, the Devils will look to extend their streak on Saturday against the New York Islanders, but a few early factors could make or break their success. Here are three keys to maintaining their momentum as the regular season unfolds.

Keep Outshooting Opponents

The biggest takeaway from the first game of the season was the sheer number of scoring chances that the Devils created. They generated 95 shot attempts, which was more than double that of the Flyers (41 CF). 

From the opening faceoff, they played with a high level of urgency, outskating their opponent and rushing the net. Throughout regulation and overtime, the Devils outshot the Flyers 44-25. Likewise, high-danger chances (14-5 HDCF) and unblocked shot attempts (62-31 FF) were also heavily in favor of the home team. 

The Flyers took a 1-0 lead late in the first period on a delayed penalty, with a tip-in from Rasmus Ristolainen. But the Devils were able to retaliate at the end of the second, with Hamilton firing an unassisted snap shot past Joseph Woll at the 17:58 mark. Even though they fell behind once more five minutes into the final period, L. Hughes tied the game at two, helping send the game to overtime.

Can't keep him wrapped up. pic.twitter.com/CbMfEV2Pmp

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 2, 2026

New Jersey controlled the puck for the majority of overtime, adding three more shots to their already impressive tally, including two high-danger opportunities. They had a few great looks early on, but it was J. Hughes who called game on a feed from Jesper Bratt in front of the slot.

All in all, the Devils put on an offensively dominant performance, playing with the sort of high-speed, high-stakes mentality that can take the club far this season.

Finding Power-Play Consistency

Last season, the Devils’ power play finished 13th in the league, with a 22% success rate. Following the Olympic break, their special teams played a crucial role in their success, with four goals in the final ten games of the season.

On Thursday night, the Devils had plenty of chances to score on the man advantage, but they went 0-for-4 against the Flyers. Their first opportunity came 7:19 into the first, when Noel Acciari was called for holding. The Devils won the opening faceoff and charged the net, with a strong push in front of the crease from Nico Hischier and Luke Evangelista.

The Flyers’ penalty kill halted the Devils twice more in the first period, then again at the beginning of the third. In total, the Devils ended the night with eight shots on goal on the power play, courtesy of Bratt, Evangelista, Evan Rodrigues, L. Hughes, and Timo Meier. 

Hopefully, the Devils are able to net their first power-play goal of the season early on, but there’s no cause for concern just yet. After leading the team to victory over the Flyers, J. Hughes told reporters they played a solid game regardless, stating, “I thought we played a really good 60 minutes. I think other than the power play, that’s a great start for our group.”

Depth Scoring Looks Promising

Perhaps the biggest question remaining for the Devils is whether or not their secondary scoring can deliver. They rolled out Arseny Gritsyuk-Rodrigues-Dawson Mercer on the third line, with Amadeus Lombardi-Cody Glass-Stefan Noesen rounding out their bottom six. Jesper Boqvist was a healthy scratch, while Connor Brown remains out of the lineup after sustaining an injury at practice on Monday.

The third line led the Devils in 5-on-5 ice time, and though they did not create any goals, it was not for lack of trying on behalf of Gritsyuk-Rodrigues-Mercer. They generated eight shots on goal, which was second only to Anthony Mantha-Hughes-Bratt. However, they led the team with 18 shot attempts and two high-danger scoring chances. 

Lombardi-Glass-Noesen did not fare as well in 4:28 of 5-on-5 ice time and were on the ice for more shots and chances against than for. The line ended the night with a relative scoring chances for percentage (SCF%) of minus-73.17.

The expectation is that the Devils’ fourth line still needs time to establish chemistry — especially since Lombardi has only just made his NHL debut. But once their bottom six finds its footing, they’ll be able to ease the workload from the top lines, creating a more sustainable scoring system.

Based on what the team has showcased so far, it looks like the Devils are in for a major bounce-back season.