The Devils came out of their first two games with plenty of answers still hanging in the air.
One night, they were patient and precise enough to beat the Flyers in overtime. Two days later, they were staring at a 6-0 loss to the Islanders and hearing Sheldon Keefe call it exactly what it looked like.
“If you could sum it up by just saying that we were playing preseason hockey against a team that was probably playing February-type hockey,” Keefe said. “They played at another level today that we haven’t seen. And, I guess you’d say we failed that stress test.”
That response from Keefe set the tone for a week that offered a little of everything: a reminder of how dangerous the top end of this roster can be, some early growing pains from a rookie trying to stick, and a few areas that already need attention.
The good stuff started the way Devils fans have seen it before. Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt connected for the overtime winner in the season opener against Philadelphia, with Hughes forcing the turnover, sliding the puck to Bratt and driving to the net before getting it right back. Hughes buried the finish for a 3-2 win.
“We’ve done that give-and-go play,” Hughes said. “We’ve been doing that for years and I look forward to doing it a lot more years with him.”
Then came the celebration: Hughes firing his stick into the Prudential Center crowd, a throwback to his overtime moment against Chicago in the 2021 home opener.
That game also belonged to the Hughes family in another way. With New Jersey trailing 2-1 in the third period, Luke Hughes tied it and pushed the night into overtime. If the Devils are going to get the offensive jump they want from Luke this season, that was a strong place to start.
There were also some fresh faces in the mix. Luke Evangelista opened the season with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier, and he’s already been plugged into the top power-play unit as well. Hischier said Evangelista gives that line a different look.
“He can hold onto pucks and find us,” Hischier said. “Timo and I are very simple, straight-up players.
We take what they give us. Luke is also a very creative player.
He sees the ice and the open space.”
Hischier also pointed to Evangelista’s right-handed shot as another wrinkle for the power play. Evangelista picked up his first point as a Devil with an assist on Luke Hughes’ tying goal against Philadelphia.
The power play, though, has been one of the early headaches. New Jersey is 0-for-9 to start the season, and the Islanders even added a shorthanded goal against them Saturday. The pieces are there - Jack Hughes, Bratt, Hischier, Luke Hughes and Evangelista - but the production hasn’t shown up yet.
Depth is already being tested too. Connor Brown’s absence opened a spot for Stefan Noesen, while Jesper Boqvist is there as another veteran option outside the regular lineup.
At the other end of the lineup, the goaltending picture is already worth tracking. Jake Allen got the opener and stopped 23 of 25 shots in the 3-2 win over Philadelphia.
Nico Daws drew the second game and was beaten six times on 32 shots in the loss to the Islanders. Rémi Poirier, claimed off waivers from Dallas just before the season, is also in the mix as the third goalie.
Allen brings experience. Daws is finally getting the NHL chance he’s been chasing.
Poirier adds another layer of depth. Two games won’t settle anything, but this is already one of the more interesting spots on the roster.
Not every story from the first week was a highlight reel, though. Amadeus Lombardi’s debut came with a dose of reality.
After earning a roster spot in camp and making his NHL debut against Philadelphia, the 23-year-old had a rougher second outing against the Islanders, taking two penalties, finishing minus-2 and playing 8:13 in the 6-0 loss. For a player trying to establish himself, the ups and downs are part of the job.
Anthony Mantha is dealing with his own adjustment period after joining the Devils this summer. On the ice, he’s learning new teammates, a new system and where he fits in the top six. Off the ice, he and his family are still settling into New Jersey, including the process of finding a house and getting everyone established.
The biggest takeaway after two games is simple: the Devils have already shown two very different versions of themselves. Against the Flyers, they controlled stretches of the game, stayed with it when the goals didn’t come and found a way to finish in overtime. Against the Islanders, they were overwhelmed after a scoreless first period and never recovered from the three-goal second and three-goal third.
It’s only two games in an 84-game season, so the sky isn’t falling. But the Devils have already given us a clear look at the good, the bad and the list of things that need sorting out fast.
In Other News...
Devils Face A Costly Reality In Their Search For Blue-Line Help
As the season begins, the Devils are still searching for help on the blue line, and the name drawing attention is young defenseman Edvinsson, who remains unsigned. New Jersey has an obvious need to shore up its defensive depth, but the path to doing it is hardly straightforward. Cap space is tight, and any deal for a player with his kind of upside would likely require giving up meaningful assets, the sort of young players or prospects the organization would prefer to keep.
There is also the matter of timing, with uncertainty around the Red Wings' front office adding another layer to any possible trade talks. For now, the Devils are weighing external options against internal answers, including continued development of their prospects and possible coaching adjustments aimed at tightening things up. It leaves New Jersey in a familiar spot for a team trying to improve without paying too steep a price: needing help, but not eager to overextend to get it. [Read more 🡒]