Jake Allen’s 500th NHL game arrives with the kind of quiet weight that has followed him through his career.
The Devils goaltender hit the milestone Saturday, October 10, against the Vancouver Canucks, becoming the 85th goalie in league history to reach 500 NHL starts. It’s a round number that says plenty about longevity, but in Allen’s case, the bigger story is how he got there: by being the same dependable presence over and over again.
That’s the reputation he’s built in New Jersey, where teammates sum him up in two simple words - consistent and solid. In a position where everything is judged by what happens on a given night, those are not throwaway compliments. They speak to a goalie who prepares the right way, stays composed, and gives his team a chance every time he takes the net.
Allen spent seven seasons with the Blues, and that stretch included a Stanley Cup title in 2019 before he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens. He landed with the Devils in March 2024, bringing with him the kind of experience and stability every team wants in goal. Then in 2025, New Jersey locked him in with a five-year contract extension.
His coach sees the full picture.
“His path, his road, not the easiest, most traditional way,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “He has done a little bit of everything in terms of being a No. 1 guy, being a backup, being a mentor.
Here he has been all of that at different times. He is the ultimate pro, a tremendous leader and competitor.
He takes every single day as serious in detail and structure, as his first day, which is pretty remarkable.”
The milestone itself matters. The way Allen has earned it matters just as much. For a goalie whose career has been built on reliability, the label his teammates keep coming back to feels like the perfect fit.
In Other News...
Devils Roster Shuffle Just Put Anton Silayev In Focus
A roster shuffle in Newark on Wednesday had more cap implications than on-ice consequences, with the Devils sending veteran winger Stefan Noesen to AHL Utica after he cleared waivers and bringing up prospect defenseman Anton Silayev on paper. The moves came as the club worked through its salary cap picture, and they also kept Silayev squarely in the conversation as one of the organizations most intriguing young defensemen.
Nick Bjugstads pectoral surgery created the opening in the bigger roster puzzle, and the Devils are using his absence to maximize the long-term injured reserve benefit while preserving flexibility for what comes next. For now, the headline is not a lineup change so much as a bookkeeping move, but it is the kind that can quietly shape how soon Silayev gets a real look in New Jersey. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Get A Key Blue-Line Boost With Kovacevic Back
Johnathan Kovacevic is back in the mix for New Jersey, with the Devils activating the defenseman off injured reserve ahead of their upcoming game against Vancouver. It gives the blue line a needed reinforcement and puts Kovacevic on the verge of beginning his second season in the five-year extension he signed with the club, after spending the offseason recovering from knee surgery.
For the Devils, the timing matters because Kovacevic brings a steady NHL track record into a group that can use every healthy body on the back end. He has logged 258 regular-season games with 53 points and has already skated in three playoff games for New Jersey, so his return adds both experience and a familiar piece to the lineup picture even as the next step remains to be seen. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Delivered The Kind Of Win Fans Needed To See
A shaky start gave way to something closer to the response the Devils had been looking for, as New Jersey shook off an early Vancouver goal and rolled to a 4-1 win. The power play looked sharper, the pace felt more connected, and the lineup produced the kind of balanced scoring that has been missing through some uneven stretches.
Nico Hischier was at the center of it, driving the attack while Jesper Boqvist and Jesper Bratt added support on the scoreboard. For a team trying to steady itself after a rough run, the bigger takeaway was not just the result but the way the Devils handled the game after the opening punch, a sign that they may be inching back toward the level fans expected to see. [Read more 🡒]