The New Jersey Devils headed into Saturday’s matchup against the Edmonton Oilers on an emotional high after taking down the Florida Panthers in their Home Opener. While the crowd may not have received rally towels today, they were still just as raucous as the Devils stormed their way to a fourth straight victory, 5-3.
Related: Jack Hughes Scores Twice to Lift Devils 5-3 Over Oilers
At Last: The Streak is Over!
The elephant in the room coming into the afternoon was that the Devils had not rattled off four wins in a row since Jan. 7-16, 2023…1,006 days ago. They had gone a mind-blowing 0-11-2 following a three-game win streak since then, but the grueling drought is finally over. The weight has been lifted: they’ve won four games in a row, and it only took five games into the season to accomplish the feat. And the fashion they did it in is even more remarkable — beating three of the better teams from last season including the Eastern and Western Conference champs (Panthers, Oilers).
It goes without saying that being able to string together lengthy win streaks sets the “good” teams apart from the “elite” ones, and that’s a massive reason that things got dicey for the Devils down the stretch last season. If they can add onto this streak or start some new ones down the road, they’ll be in a much better position.
When Brett Pesce was told about the streak, his eyes lit up in shock: “Wow, that’s a crazy stat. I wish we figured that out last year, but yeah…we trust our structure. We trust our game, no matter what happens. We’re not gonna get rattled.”
Penalty Kill Shines
Coming into the contest, the Devils had probably been to the box way more than they should have: their 4.25 times shorthanded per game was the fourth-worst mark in the NHL. However, their penalty kill had gotten them through, allowing just one power play goal in 17 tries.
Just 1:34 into the game, Dawson Mercer took a high-stick and the Devils put Connor McDavid and the Oilers on the man advantage. They killed that off, as well as a Jesper Bratt tripping penalty in the second.
In the third, Cody Glass went off for high-sticking. Surely, the McDavid-led power play couldn’t stay off the board forever…right? Wrong. Instead, the Devils notched a shorthanded goal of their own: Connor Brown, against his former team no less.
The Devils almost got another shorthanded goal as Hischier got robbed later on. Their goal differential on the penalty kill this season? +1. They’re now 19-for-20 (95%) with two shorties.
Jack Hughes = Still Jack Hughes
Jack Hughes got off to a pretty slow start this season — at least for his standards. He finally bounced back by scoring his first goal of the season in Thursday’s home opener, a typical Jack Hughes snipe over the goalie’s shoulder.
He certainly had his legs once again this afternoon, as team reporter Sam Kasan said it best on this goal: Jack had a “moses-like ability to part the Oilers” and score his second highlight reel goal in as many nights:
Jack is HIM. We’re taking no questions at this time. pic.twitter.com/ZQnnDknt0M
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 18, 2025
He wasn’t done there; he found himself in alone on Calvin Pickard and completely undressed him for another tally that deserves a submission to ESPN’s Top 10.
Brown, who played with McDavid for two seasons, said postgame: “[Jack]’s a total gamebreaker. His skill level is unmatched in the league, I mean, he’s right up there if not the most skilled. It’s unbelievable, the way he turns, it’s not like anyone else. You saw that second goal, it’s just ridiculous…it’s been fun watching him.”
Moving Forward
The Devils will be back in action on Tuesday in Toronto (7:00 PM EDT) as they look to make it five straight.
