On Wednesday evening, the New Jersey Devils returned home for the first time in 10 days to face the Seattle Kraken. Since their last home outing, a lot had changed, including some dreadful losses, public calls for a massive shake-up, and a State of the Union-type presser from general manager Tom Fitzgerald.
The best way to improve the vibes? Win…which is exactly what the Devils did in a 3-2 overtime victory.
Related: Devils’ GM Tom Fitzgerald Speaks to Local Media
Captain Steps Up
While it’s been a struggle offensively this season for Nico Hischier, he’s never wavered in terms of his attitude and effort. Finally, things have started to come around on the scoresheet: his overtime winner marked his fifth point in three games. He’s a plus-4 in that span.
“He’s kinda thundered all for us,” said Keefe. “And obviously we need that to continue. That’s leadership, and the rest of the team can fall in line from there.”
Even when he’s not finding the scoresheet, he’s often doing things to help win a team games. Per NHL Network’s Mike Kelly, Hischier is second in the entire league in puck battles won…and there’s some decent separation between second and third. (Hischier: 163, John Tavares: 146)
Dougie Hamilton Continues to Surge
There’s no question that this season has been a struggle for Dougie Hamilton, who had just 12 points in 41 games coming into the night — the worst point production of his career. Certainly, the reports of the Devils repeatedly trying to trade him haven’t done his play any favors.
Hamilton was healthy scratched for their recent contest against Winnipeg, and his agent appeared unhappy with the Devils. While some pondered whether he’d don a Devils uniform ever again, he re-entered the lineup on Monday in Minnesota, notching two primary assists.
Just 54 seconds into this one, Hamilton got a puck through for Cody Glass to bang in the rebound. It was his third point in 13:08 — a 1,900% increase in production from prior to that span. While he didn’t register a point afterwards, he was all over the place, registering double the shot attempts (10) of any other Devil (Simon Nemec, 5). He also led in shots (4) and was second in expected goals. In other words: he looked like vintage Dougie.
Cody Glass opens the scoring under a minute into the game‼️ pic.twitter.com/vn0XpH9Vz4
— NHL (@NHL) January 15, 2026
When The Hockey Writers asked whether he’ll remain in the lineup for Saturday in Carolina, head coach Sheldon Keefe said, “Yeah, really to be determined. We’ll take tomorrow off, and we’ll get back in practice, and then we’ll sort all of that out. We’ll see where [Johnathan] Kovacevic is at, that’s gonna be an important one, and we’ll determine from there.”
Defensive Attention to Detail
The Devils certainly limited their mistakes tonight, which was a key reason they were able to walk away with two points. Based on expected goals against, it was their fifth-best defensive showing of the season — and best in exactly a month (Dec. 14 vs. Vancouver).
“It’s great. They’re blocking shots and breaking out,” said winning goaltender Jacob Markstrom. “Every rim that I go out and stop too, they’re exactly where they need to be and they’re coming back hard for me. So they’re making it easy for me.”
In Fitzgerald’s press conference, he talked a lot about the team needing to be able to be comfortable playing in tight games. While the roster construction, system, etc. can be debated, the bottom line is the Devils need points right now, and playing responsibly — like they did tonight — gives them a chance to win on most nights.
Moving Forward
The Devils — now 24-21-2 — will remain home for a big test against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday (7:00 PM EST).
