The New Jersey Devils have been rolling at five-on-five, and the results have finally started to match the underlying numbers. They’ve won five of their last six and seven of their last nine, with all of those victories coming in convincing fashion. The only real clunker came in the second half of a brutally-distanced back-to-back.
There’s been more good news beyond the recent run, too. The team is getting competent goaltending thanks to Connor Hellebuyck’s addition to the crew, and the finishing issues that were hanging around early in the season appear to be easing up.
But one area still hasn’t caught up with the rest of the group: the power play. New Jersey is converting at 16.7%, which ranks 25th in the National Hockey League.
For a roster with this much skill on the top unit - Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, Luke Evangelista, and Luke Hughes - that’s a jarring number. Even the second unit, featuring Timo Meier, Arseny Gritsyuk, Evan Rodrigues, Anthony Mantha, and Dougie Hamilton, looks like it could stack up with a few teams’ first groups from a talent standpoint.
Still, the Devils remain stuck in the bottom quadrant of the league.
The encouraging part is that the underlying chance creation points to better days ahead. New Jersey sits 11th in the NHL in expected goals per 60 minutes on the power play at 8.4, tied with or ahead of teams that are converting at a much higher rate, including the Utah Mammoth and the Nashville Predators. That kind of shot quality usually turns into goals over time.
The gap between the chances and the production has a pretty straightforward explanation: the finishing has been cold. The Devils are shooting just 9.7% on the power play, third-worst in the league behind only the Montreal Canadiens and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Given the talent on hand, that number looks more like a temporary slump than a true reflection of what this group can do.
“Trust the process” was the early-season message for the Devils as a whole, and it paid off. The same approach seems like the right one for the power play now.
In Other News...
Devils Quietly Made A Goalie Move That Signals Their Bigger Plan
The Devils made a small but telling move on the goaltending front, sending Remi Poirier to the Capitals for a 2027 seventh-round pick. Poirier never appeared in an NHL game for New Jersey after being acquired from Dallas before this season, but the trade still clears a bit of organizational clutter while giving the club another draft asset to work with down the line.
For Washington, the deal is about replenishing depth after losing Clay Stevenson on waivers, a reminder that even minor goalie transactions can ripple through an organization. For New Jersey, it fits the broader pattern of keeping the pipeline flexible and the asset base moving, even when the return is modest and the headline is easy to miss. [Read more 🡒]
Jack Hughes Has The Devils Looking More Legit By The Game
The Devils kept building on their own surge with a 5-2 win over the Golden Knights, another result that makes them look increasingly more like a team that belongs in the conversation. It came on a night when the Panthers were handling Winnipeg and Calgary was taking care of Seattle, but New Jerseys result stood out for the way it fit the larger trend around the club: steady progress, more confidence, and a roster that is starting to play with real purpose.
For a team that has spent so much of the season trying to prove it can stack good nights together, this was the kind of victory that matters beyond the standings. The Devils are getting the sort of contributions and structure that can change the way opponents approach them, and Jack Hughes remains central to that shift. The broader question now is whether this is simply a strong stretch or the point where New Jersey starts looking like something more durable. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Fast Start Has Fans Debating Who Deserves The Most Credit
The early returns have given the Devils something to talk about beyond the standings. New Jersey has opened the 2026-27 season at 9-5-0, riding a four-game win streak and winning five of its last six, with captain Nico Hischier, defenseman Luke Hughes and forward Arseny Gritsyuk all drawing notice as the clubs top performers for October.
Connor Hellebuyck has also already made his presence felt, picking up two wins on a recent road trip and giving the Devils a steadier edge in net. With so many different names contributing to the fast start, the fun debate around this team is less about whether it has looked good and more about which piece deserves the most credit for making it look this good. [Read more 🡒]