The Devils didn’t just beat Dallas. They smothered it.
In a 5-1 win, New Jersey looked every bit like a team that has tightened its structure since the Detroit game, leaning harder into defense, backtracking, puck pressure, and puck support. That commitment carried through the full night, and while the buzz coming in centered on Hellebuyck’s debut, the bigger takeaway was how complete the Devils looked in all three zones.
They were relentless in their own end, firm at the defensive blue line, and constant with their pressure up ice. Offensively, they kept working the forecheck, using hard rims to flip the ice and stay on the attack. The result was a thorough beating of a Dallas team that entered the game with strong defensive numbers and had allowed only 19 goals in 11 games.
Nico Hischier set the tone in transition, scoring twice as the Devils turned stops into instant chances. His first came after Kovacevic and Dillon moved the puck quickly up the wall out of the defensive zone, then Evangelista won a battle at center ice to send Hischier and Timo Meier off on a 2-on-1. Dallas challenged for interference, but DeSmith clearly went for a swim and practically dove into Timo.
Hischier’s second goal was just as sharp, starting with Luke and Pesce stuffing a Dallas rush at the Devils blue line. With Hischier right there in support, New Jersey turned it back the other way, and Hischier buried the chance in style. It was a good sign to see him ripping the puck like that.
The Devils’ offensive-zone work was just as impressive. On the third goal, every Devil touched the puck, with Siegs working it down low to Gritsyuk, who cycled it back up top.
That kind of side-to-side movement matters, and New Jersey finally has the talent to make it pay off. The finish came on a slick dish from Jack to Boquist.
There were also moments where one player simply took over a sequence. One goal was described as a “Disgusting goal, Lukey boy learned how to putt.” But even that one started with Mantha and Boquist winning a 2v2 battle down low and getting the puck back up to Dougie.
Jack’s goal followed a similar script. As Dano put it, “Everyone’s in sync.” That play featured multiple puck retrievals and several switches of the ice, including Bratt’s cross-ice pass to Pesce that opened things up before Bubble boy did what he does best.
In the neutral zone, New Jersey was a problem all night. They repeatedly shut Dallas down at the blue line and turned those stops into rushes and long stretches of offensive-zone time. There was even a second-period sequence where they stuffed Dallas at the line five or six times in a row.
Boquist was part of the night’s bigger depth-scoring story, too. “What is Depth Scoring” - Boquist has as many goals in 12 games as Dadonov, Crookshanks, Halonen, Tsyplakov, Bjugstad, Glendening and Lammikko had in 171 combined games last year.
The power play, though, still left something to be desired. It was the most dangerous it has looked, and Jack rang one off the post down low, but the overall direction of the unit remains a question. New Jersey swapped Jack and Bratt on the flanks, and the setup no longer looks like the one that has historically been one of the club’s most dangerous looks.
Hellebuyck, meanwhile, was steady and calm behind it all. He handled basically everything that reached him, with the only goal against coming on a nasty deflection.
His puck play had some shaky moments, but he also got tripped in the first without a call. Even so, the bigger picture was clear: with New Jersey limiting opponents to fewer than 20 shots for a third straight game, the goalie had a light workload.
The Devils held Dallas to almost nothing dangerous, and that’s before getting ready for Colorado tomorrow on a back-to-back in the thin air.
Lombardi had a few nervous moments, but the overall game was still encouraging, and he’ll likely be watching some video on the plane tonight or tomorrow morning.
In Other News...
Devils Cap Squeeze Could Cost Them A Respected Veteran
The Devils roster crunch has become one of the quietest but most important storylines around the team as the season moves along. After adding Connor Hellebuyck, New Jersey is sitting just under the salary cap and still has work to do to round out the lineup, which is why the club has already tried to carve out space by putting Stefan Noesen on waivers. Even then, only part of his salary could be buried, leaving the front office with very little room to maneuver.
Brenden Dillon has emerged as the next possible pressure point. The veteran defenseman carries a $4 million cap hit, and his limited no-trade list gives the Devils some flexibility if they decide a move is the cleanest way to open more space before the trade deadline. For a team that wants to stay competitive while keeping options open, the balance between keeping a respected veteran and creating room for upgrades may be one of the trickier calls ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Are Winning But One Lineup Flaw Still Looks Obvious
The Devils have started to pile up wins again, and the top of the lineup is doing its part. Over the last four games, New Jersey has leaned on its best forwards to drive the offense and keep the club moving in the right direction, a welcome sign for a team trying to stay in the thick of the Metropolitan Division race.
Jesper Boqvists name keeps coming up because the bottom six still looks like the obvious soft spot. The fourth line has struggled to provide much of anything, and there is a case for shifting Boqvist down there with Amadeus Lombardi and Cody Glass to give that group a little more purpose and balance. If the Devils are going to keep winning at this pace, getting more out of those minutes feels like the next step. [Read more 🡒]
Quinn Hughes Buzz Puts The Devils In A Dangerous Sweet Spot
Ryan Whitney lit up the rumor mill on a podcast by saying he believes Quinn Hughes will be playing for the Devils next season, and it is the kind of speculation that instantly gets attention in New Jersey. Hughes is in the final year of his contract with Minnesota, and while he has said he is focused on the Wild for now, he also left the door open to future changes. For a Devils team always thinking about the next big swing, that alone is enough to keep the conversation going.
The challenge is obvious: the Devils have some salary cap space to work with for the 2027-28 season, but adding a player of Hughes' caliber would not be as simple as just creating room. It would take real roster maneuvering to make any potential fit work, and that is where the intrigue lives for New Jersey. For a club trying to stay competitive while also chasing a franchise-altering upgrade, this is the kind of possibility that can linger in the background long before anything concrete ever happens. [Read more 🡒]