When was the last time the New Jersey Devils won in convincing fashion as they did on Saturday afternoon?
A 4-1 victory over the Utah Mammoth had a little bit of everything. The Devils’ top players were their best players. The goaltending? Superb. The special teams? It was all there (for the most part).
Following a comeback 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, this was the first step towards the turnaround, one that you could point to and say it all started on the last day of 2025.
It was the first time the Devils scored first in four games. Further, it was the first time they took a lead in five games, which was their last victory in Utah against the Mammoth.
Make no mistake, the Devils have a huge test against the Carolina Hurricanes in the second of a back-to-back on Sunday. Yet, if they can bottle this and at least play a meaningful game against the team that’s had their number, you can feel good about saying, “The Devils are back.”
Sheldon Keefe even agreed the struggles prior to Saturday had a bit to do with shaken confidence.
“A bit, yeah, I mean, you’re less fragile,” Keefe explained. “We’ve been playing from behind a lot, and a lot of that is, to me, it’s not even because we’ve been starting poorly. If you look at our starts, how we’ve played in the first five minutes of almost every game we’ve played for a long time now, we’re controlling the shots on goal.
“The puck hadn’t gone in, so it gives more opportunity for the other team to score first, and you’re kind of chasing the game, and that’s a tough mindset to be in as often as we have been.”
Certainly, that’s not how it panned out against the Mammoth, who the Devils are 4-0-0 against since their birth.
Let’s get to some observations.
10 Observations
- Fortunately for the Devils, they did not have to play chasing a goal tonight after a strong save by Jacob Markstrom early, which was the result of a Dougie Hamilton turnover in the neutral zone. Perhaps the most frustrating part of that first period mishap by the $9 million defenseman was that he whiffed on a pass completely uncontested. Nick Schmaltz picked the puck up left on a platter, and he dumped it to JJ Peterka who knows how to score in a high-danger area. Yet, Markstrom came up big. Those senseless mistakes are what make watching Hamilton on a nightly basis so frustrating, and he needs to be better to either contribute to wins, or to boost his trade value.
- One thing that may work in his favor is scoring goals like he did in the third period. No harm, no foul on the first period whiff, I suppose. However, Hamilton has always had an elite shot. He showed that on the Devils’ fourth goal when he snuck the rubber under the bar and over Karel Vejmelka’s shoulder. At least he has that going for him. But, it’s been 26 games between goals for Hamilton. That needs to change.
- Timo Meier was a beast today. The line with him, Dawson Mercer, and Arseny Gritsyuk are clicking well. However, I loved what I saw from Timo individually. He was the player we all know he can be. He took over shifts, dominated the high-danger scoring areas, and even created for himself. The first-period sequence where he stick-handled through three Utah defenders and nearly scored was impressive. And then, he scored New Jersey’s second goal at high speed on the rush. That’s the Timo Meier the Devils know he can be. Now, find it consistently.
- Jack Hughes appeared to be feeling himself again on Saturday. It wasn’t just about the pair of helpers. He showed that explosiveness again, was incredibly elusive with the puck, and controlled the pace of play for his line. If the Devils are going to return to form, they need Jack to play the way he did against the Mammoth way more often than not.
- By the way, I asked Keefe about Jack’s deployment with Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt on the wing. Here’s what he had to say about it: “Obviously, we’re managing Jack right now, right? With him coming back into the lineup, and the situation with his hand and all of that. We like him as a center. I think he’s a center. We’re a better team when he’s playing down the middle. I just don’t think we’re quite there right now. Before moving him to the wing, with him coming back, it was a lot of changing lines and trying to get different centers out in different situations. And to me, that disrupted our team and our rhythm. I thought we were going pretty good before that time, and it’s just a matter of playing him with two of our best players, having them hopefully kind of drive a line and get us going offensively, which they did a terrific job over in the first period tonight.”
- Nico Hischier isn’t tolerating anyone’s nonsense anymore. It’s been evident before, especially with dropping the gloves with Matthew Knies the other night. But it’s apparent he’s taken on that persona between the whistles. If he doesn’t like something that happens in a game with the opposition, he’s going to make it known. He did that against Utah, mixing it up early with Jack McBain, and I think you’re going to continue to see it a lot more. If you’re going to nudge him, he’s coming back at you. And honestly, I admire it.
- Is Markstrom back, by the way? What a great game by the Swedish Olympian netminder. Perhaps he’s gunning for starting duties at the 2026 Winter Olympics, or perhaps he’s just turning the page with the rest of the Devils. But on Saturday, Markstrom was locked in early, making a few sprawling saves to keep Utah off the board early, and it propelled the Devils to victory. He made 1.50 saves above expected after just the opening 20 minutes, and with 2.85 GSAx, per HockeyStats.
- The power play looked A LOT better tonight. The first one didn’t score, but the puck movement was quick and crisp, and thus, scoring chances were created. Meier returned to the first unit, but played net-front. I’d still have him ripping shots from the right circle, but at least he’s on the first unit.
- Speaking of the power play, special teams as a whole was a lot better on Saturday. 1/3 on the man advantage and 3/3 on the penalty kill. They looked a lot more confident with the puck on their stick and the execution was the evidence.
- The only thing that could have been better was when the Devils had a 5-on-3 advantage. With two extra skaters, the Devils—for whatever reason—became more conservative with the puck, and didn’t generate any shots. It wasn’t until the advantage downgraded from two skaters to one that they began to put pucks on net, and voilà! Hischier scored on the power play. MORE SHOTS ON NET IS THE KEY.
- Okay, let’s talk about the silky mitts Gritsyuk displayed at the end of the second period. He was in the offensive zone alone when the Devils were changing, and in the future you want to see him get the puck deeper in the zone. But my goodness, the stick-handling around multiple defenders while trying to maintain puck possession? This kid is the real deal, and when he puts it all together consistently, he’s another lethal weapon for the Devils.
- The most important thing about the Devils’ 4-1 victory on Saturday was that their best players were their best players. The Jack-Nico-Bratt line had puck possession in the offensive zone for most of the night at even strength, as did the Timo-Mercer-Gritsyuk line. That’s the key to their success.
- What more can you ask of Brett Pesce? A pair of assists, five blocked shots, and the third star of the game. It’s so obvious why the Devils are better when he’s in the lineup.
