Heading home with a 2-1-0 record after a three-game season opening road trip should leave smiles on the faces of the New Jersey Devils. The Devils are off on Tuesday, but by Wednesday, those smiles should be wiped. Yes, Thursday’s home opener will bring excitement, but the Devils’ biggest test is still ahead of them.
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New Jersey’s biggest test thus far was, without a doubt, Game 1 of the regular season against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Lenovo Center.
The result was to be expected. The Hurricanes beat up on the Devils in their own barn, reminding New Jersey of their early exit in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the hands of their division rival.
It lit a fire under the Devils early.
They went into Tampa Bay and took it to the Lightning, and improved upon their game further when the Devils defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.
Now, the Devils are home and preparing for a two-game homestand. Their opponents?
Oh, only the reigning, defending, Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers.
That’s Thursday.
Then? Just the runners-up, the Edmonton Oilers, and a highly, highly motivated Connor McDavid.
The Devils are tasked with defending their turf against the two teams many project to run it back for a third time in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.
Overcoming the road gauntlet to open the season was tough, but an early road trip helps bring the team together, especially with so many new bodies.
At home? Yes, they have the advantage of skating on their own ice. And in most cases, that would mean something. Except, the Panthers, nor the Oilers, care about advantages.
Especially with the Devils’ goaltending hanging in the balance.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers are off to a roaring start. In four games, they’re 3-1-0, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, and Ottawa Senators.
They lost their last game, already meeting the Flyers for a second time on the road. And before they see the Devils on Thursday, the Panthers meet the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night.
Still, the Cats are their usual selves. Big, fast, and structured, they’re unafraid to mix it up between the whistles, and have the scoring power, defensive depth, and goaltending to fulfill their prophecy of becoming the NHLs next dynasty by winning a third Stanley Cup.
Yes, the Devils swept the Panthers in back-to-back road meetings last season. And yes, they’re currently missing their best players Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk.
The Panthers didn’t need another reason for analysts to count them out. But, the injury history gives them one.
It puts a chip on the shoulders of Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Co., maintaining their status as one of the toughest matchups in the league.
Their stars have been their stars, with Marchand and Sam Reinhart leading the way on the scoresheet. The depth has come through, too, by way of Anton Lundell and Evan Rodrigues.
The Devils’ depth has come through in the form of Arsney Gritsyuk and Connor Brown.
They could use a little more from Jack Hughes and the top line.
New Jersey will have to meet Florida’s bar on Thursday.
Edmonton Oilers
And yet, they’ll be expected to have something left in the tank on Saturday afternoon when they host the Edmonton Oilers.
McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Co. are 1-0-1 out of the gate, and will face the New York Rangers tonight.
The Oilers captain inked a new bargain extension at the 11th hour of the regular season, injecting a shot of adrenaline into the entire Province of Edmonton.
In the early goings, the Oilers’ best players have been just that. McDavid, Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have each collected three points.
They added Andrew Mangiapane over the summer, who is looking to flip the script on his development, and has two goals in two games already.
Timo Meier’s hot start could match the goal scoring prowess.
The road didn’t scare Edmonton last season, recording a 23-16-2 record, and scored 3.05 goals per game.
After dropping back-to-back Stanley Cups to the Panthers, the Oilers are looking to snap the rest of the NHL out of existence like Thanos in Avengers: Endgame.
New Jersey’s truest test is coming very early in the season. Will it make or break them? That’s to be determined. But hanging tight with the NHLs top two teams could at least provide a necessary shot in the arm to propel them through the first half of the season.
We’ll see what the next few days bring in terms of Jake Allen and Jacob Markstrom’s status.
Regardless, it should be a fun week of hockey ahead.
