It hasn’t taken long for the New Jersey Devils’ power play to become a concern.
Two games into the 2026-27 season, the man advantage has gone cold, and the early returns are rough: 0-for-9 overall. The Devils came up empty on all four chances in a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, then followed that with an 0-for-5 night in a lopsided loss to the New York Islanders.
That Islanders game stood out for more than just the final score. Five power-play opportunities were there for the taking, and at least one goal could have changed the shape of the night. Instead, New Jersey wasted the chances, and the Islanders took control.
The top unit itself doesn’t look broken on paper. Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes are a strong group, and Luke Hughes rounds out the setup on the back end. The issue is that the blue line spot hasn’t brought enough of what a power play usually needs from its lone defenseman.
That role is often filled by a player who can either move the puck with ease or hammer it from the point. Luke Hughes, at least so far, hasn’t provided that kind of edge in this spot. He’s not the kind of defenseman who changes the look of a power play the way Cale Makar can.
A different model might make more sense. Quinn Hughes is the example that comes to mind - not because he brings the same kind of heavy shot other defensemen have, but because he can skate through pressure and create offense in ways that catch opponents off guard.
Still, the bigger change may be elsewhere.
At this point, the Devils might be better off putting Dougie Hamilton back on the top power-play unit. Hamilton isn’t known as a pure puck-mover either, but he does bring a real shot, and that could be exactly what New Jersey needs right now.
With a stingy Utah Mammoth team coming to town on Tuesday night, the Devils may need every edge they can find. If the power play can start producing, it could swing a game in their favor.
The idea isn’t complicated: give Hamilton more time with the first unit, let him shoot, and trust the forwards to attack the rebounds. Sometimes the cleanest answer is the best one. If not, New Jersey risks letting a sluggish power play drag it down.
In Other News...
Devils Have An Early Weakness Keefe Cant Ignore
The Devils early season has already shown a familiar stress point, and it is not hard to spot why Sheldon Keefe is paying close attention. New Jersey has been giving up too many goals in bunches, including recent games against the Islanders and Utah Mammoth, and the issue has quickly moved beyond a one-off bad night. Keefe has pointed to defensive habits and the little details in front of the net, the kind of breakdowns that can make a game feel much harder than it should.
Penalty killing has also been part of the concern, which only adds to the urgency as the schedule keeps moving. The Devils are working to clean up those issues before they harden into something bigger, because early defensive slippage can linger if it is not addressed quickly. For a team trying to establish its identity, the next few games will say plenty about whether this is just a rough patch or a problem that needs more than a few corrections. [Read more 🡒]
ESPN Just Gave Devils Fans Another Reason To Defend Nico Hischier
ESPNs latest ranking of the NHLs top 100 players for the 2026-27 season gave Devils fans another familiar debate to pick at, with Nico Hischier landing 54th after being placed 23rd in the previous version. For a player who has become the face of New Jerseys leadership group and one of the steadier two-way centers in the league, the slide raised eyebrows well beyond Newark, especially given the way the list is framed as a look ahead rather than a simple recap of last season.
The comparison points make the ranking even harder to square. Aleksander Barkov, who missed the entire prior season, was placed ahead of Hischier, while Connor Bedard came in at 43rd despite an expected injury absence early in the year. For Devils fans, it is the kind of list that invites an instant defensive reaction, because Hischiers value has never been tied to flash alone, and the gap between reputation, production and outside perception still seems to be widening. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Loss Exposed A Roster Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The loss to the Utah Mammoth put a familiar Devils issue back in the spotlight: once the top six stop driving play, the offense can run dry in a hurry. Sheldon Keefe pointed to the gap in talent and scoring support beyond Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and the rest of the clubs best forwards, a problem that has lingered whenever the top group is quiet or dealing with injury.
For a while, New Jersey could lean on speed as a separator, but that edge has narrowed as more teams around the league have caught up. With that in mind, management has already started looking for ways to rework the roster, and Sunny Mehtas group now faces a clear test of whether it can add the kind of depth that keeps the Devils dangerous even when the stars are not carrying everything. [Read more 🡒]