The New Jersey Devils reached the 60-game mark of the 2023-24 regular season yesterday when they fell 4-3 to the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center. With the final stretch approaching and only a week until the trade deadline, teams at the top of the standings may ease off the gas pedal, secure a good position, and begin organizing their roster for the playoffs, making minor adjustments to contend for the Stanley Cup.
Those at the bottom already know that advancing will be very difficult, so they start thinking about the next season, players who can be traded, and other details for 2024-25. But there are teams, like NJ, caught in the crossfire. In other words, they haven’t thrown in the towel yet, but they also don’t have their playoff berth secured.
This is a delicate situation because there’s neither the frustration of elimination nor the peace of mind knowing that the playoff spot is almost guaranteed. Right now, it’s impossible to predict whether there will be a sense of accomplishment for advancing or the sadness of falling short.
Either way, uncertainty affects the staff, players, and fans, especially in such a fiercely contested and balanced division, as is the case with the Metropolitan. So, here is a recap of the Devils’ 60 games and their season so far, along with an attempt to determine what the outcome of the regular season will be for the Newark team.
The First 20 Games (10-9-1)
After a long time, the Devils started the season as one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. They were considered one of the teams to beat, with a roster of stars, experienced players, and a lot of offensive power. The start was pride-inducing for the fans. A 4-3 victory against the Detroit Red Wings at the Prudential Center, with two goals from Jack Hughes. Vitek Vanecek was the starter and performed well (.914%).
It seemed like the ideal start to a season that generated high expectations. Subsequent losses to the Arizona Coyotes and Florida Panthers dampened the mood. But it was still early; the team needed rhythm, like everyone else, something tolerable. In the first few games, it’s really more complicated to evaluate, judge, and determine things. The Devils managed a good streak after the first three reasonable matches, winning five out of six games.
However, three key points deserve attention in the first 20 games. The first is that Nico Hischier only played six of them. Against the Buffalo Sabres, on Oct. 27, he suffered an illegal check to the head by Connor Clifton, an injury that kept him out for 28 days. He only returned on Nov. 25, against the Sabres, when he scored a goal and an assist. The second point was another injury, Dougie Hamilton, a top defenseman.
The player participated in only 20 games and tore his left pectoral muscle in the match following Hischier’s return. It was the beginning of injuries to key players in the team, which affected the planning and performance of the team for the rest of the season. Additionally, the defense already showed signs of instability. They conceded 74 goals (3.7 GAA). Vanecek was the starter, but Akira Schmid began to gain more space.
Mid-Season (22-16-3)
The mid-season for the Devils continued to be full of ups and downs. After Hamilton’s injury, the team won 12 games and lost nine. Whenever they embarked on a winning streak (at most three in a row), a sequence of defeats followed shortly after. The team showed even more instability in their defense, especially with the goalkeepers. This led to the emergence of Nico Daws, who made his first appearance as a starter on Dec. 29 against the Ottawa Senators with a 6-2 victory.
But, the worst was yet to come. On Jan. 5, after falling awkwardly on a rush late in the third period against the Chicago Blackhawks, Jack Hughes had to leave the ice early. The Devils’ key player led the team with 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists) and 21 power-play points (five goals) while averaging 20:31 of ice time in 32 games this season. He would be out until Feb. 8, even missing the All-Star Game for which he was selected.
Related: Jack Hughes: Rising to the Elite
Without the player, the Devils won only four games out of 11. Additionally, one cannot fail to mention the situation with Michael McLeod, who was on pace to achieve his career-best offensive performance before receiving an indefinite leave of absence from the Devils due to personal reasons related to the investigation of a sexual assault allegation from 2018. After 41 games in the season, the Devils were mostly in the middle of the standings and never emerged as favorites for the top spots in the Metropolitan Division. The warning signs were already lit.
Devils Reach Game 60
The biggest highlight here was Vanecek’s decline and the team’s goalkeepers’ movements. Vanecek, who arrived to be the starter, had already experienced a drop in performance during the previous season’s playoffs. However, in 2023-24, he had terrible performances and now has a record of 17 wins, 3.18 GAA, and .890 SV% in 32 games played.
Additionally, with Vanecek battling an illness and lower-body injury, Daws took over the starting position and started seven consecutive games (four wins). Meanwhile, Akira Schmid was in and out, being sent to Utica (AHL) and recalled to the Devils. He played on Feb. 24 in the 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning but hadn’t played for the main team since Dec. 21. The Devils signed Isaac Poulter, but the goalkeeper has yet to make his NHL debut. This season, he has a 2.70 GAA and a .908 save percentage in 24 AHL contests.
The Devils reach the third part of the season with uncertainty on the horizon. The team is 30-26-4, ranking fifth in the Metropolitan Division with 64 points, behind the Philadelphia Flyers (69), Washington Capitals (65), and New York Islanders (64), also closely competing with the Pittsburgh Penguins (62). In the wild card, the situation is similar, with the Devils ranking fifth, behind the Red Wings (72), Lightning (70), Capitals and Islanders. There are still 22 games remaining, and what can be expected is a lot of fighting, but the Devils need to embark on a more significant winning streak to truly establish themselves as playoff contenders. Otherwise, the team will have a high chance of starting their vacation early.
