The last time the New Jersey Devils faced the New York Islanders, they lost 9-0 — their worst loss in over 40 years. With their playoff hopes already dwindling fast, a bounce-back win tonight would be the only way to still have a fighting chance.
But once more, when they needed to rise to the occasion, they couldn’t cross the finish line, falling 3-1 in regulation.
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Trying to Win Low Scoring Games Has Failed More Than it Hasn’t
At the end of the day, let’s be real: fans wouldn’t care that their team is playing “boring” hockey if they were winning. But in the Devils’ case, the first couple periods up until Nico Hischier’s game-tying goal were a microcosm of how it’s been lately; it feels like every single goal is an extreme grind.
While a common reaction to that would be: Well yeah, it’s the National Hockey League! They’re a team full of talent trying to win all their games by playing stifling defense. That isn’t exactly a recipe for success.
The Devils’ 89 goals at 5v5 are dead-last in the league. Due to their constant lack of finishing, their method of trying to win low-scoring games has worked in short spurts but not nearly as long or as often as they’d hope.
Tonight, they finished 1.17 goals below expected at 5v5, bringing their season total to 32.17 below expected. That would swing their goal differential from minus-29 to plus-3…which still might not have them in a playoff position, but they’d be firmly in the mix. (via Natural Stat Trick)
“We played a good hockey game. You’ve got to score to get rewarded for it, in terms of points,” said head coach Sheldon Keefe. “We gave up seven shots after two periods [and] were in alone on their goaltender four times with no goals to show for it.”
That’s something the Devils heard all season long. Their fans are (rightfully) fed up.
Reality Starts to Set In, Despite Positive Progress Defensively
Given their uphill battle, even an overtime win likely wouldn’t have been enough for the Devils. They needed a regulation win but instead fell in regulation for the fifth time in six games. While the harsh reality may have set in for some fans weeks ago, reality has start to set in for the players and coaching staff.
As it stands, they have just a 2.77% chance to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, according to Moneypuck. They have 73% better odds to win the Draft Lottery than make the postseason (4.8%)…and remember: they started off 8-1-0. Yikes.
“We understand that over these three weeks, we’ll have a lot of time to reflect on a lot of things. And yeah, we’ve got to go on a hell of a run,” said goaltender Jake Allen.
“It sucks because you don’t get the points. We need the points. We’ve needed points for a long time,” said Keefe. “That’s what you’re here for, to win the damn game. But as a coach, I’m going to go away and step away going into a break and you’re not going to tell me that how we played this last little break: seven shots [against] tonight, five shots [against last game] halfway through, that the recipe isn’t there. The guys are buying in.”
Keefe isn’t wrong: since Jan. 19, their 2.19 xGA/60 at 5v5 is the sixth-best mark in the league. There has been major defensive improvement. But if they can’t finish consistently, it doesn’t really matter. And even if they’re somehow blessed with the scoring touch again, it’s probably too little, too late.
In the remaining 25 games, the Devils can’t lose more than roughly six in order to squeak into the playoffs.
7 Devils Headed to Milan
Seven Devils players are headed to the Olympics in Milan, and they were honored with a pre-game ceremony:
Nico Hischier (Switzerland), Jonas Siegenthaler (Switzerland), Timo Meier (Switzerland), Jesper Bratt (Sweden), Jacob Markstrom (Sweden), Jack Hughes (USA) and Simon Nemec (Slovakia) are all headed there.
The #NJDevils just had a pre-game ceremony celebrating their Olympians. pic.twitter.com/5XEUIb4bgo
— Daniel Amoia (@daniel_amoia) February 6, 2026
According to a team source, all three Swiss players (Hischier, Siegenthaler and Meier) are headed right to Milan to make the Opening Ceremony, which begins tomorrow (Feb. 6) at 2:00 PM EST — roughly 16 hours after the final horn in Newark.
It will be a good time for Devils fans to forget about the woes of the 2025-26 season and indulge in best-on-best hockey, which hasn’t happened at the Olympics in 12 (!!) years.
Moving Forward
The Devils — now 28-27-2 — will return from the Olympic break on Wed. Feb. 25 as they face Lindy Ruff and the Buffalo Sabres at The Rock (7:00 PM EST).
