Devils Fall Short in Seattle: Scoring Woes and Goaltending Struggles Stall Road Momentum
With much of their fanbase buried under snow back home, the New Jersey Devils wrapped up their West Coast swing in Seattle on Sunday afternoon looking to cap a perfect road trip. Instead, familiar issues reared their heads - missed chances, shaky goaltending, and a lack of timely scoring - in a 4-2 loss to the Kraken.
Dougie Hamilton’s Resurgence Rolls On
Let’s start with the bright spot: Dougie Hamilton is playing some of his best hockey in a Devils sweater - and that’s saying something.
Two weeks ago, Hamilton was a healthy scratch, and there were real questions about his future with the team. But since returning to the lineup just one game later, the veteran blueliner has flipped the script. His power-play goal against Seattle marked his ninth point in the last eight games - matching the total he had in his first 39 games combined.
That’s not just a bounce-back - that’s a full-blown resurgence.
Hamilton is currently riding a seven-game point streak, and the numbers behind the production are just as impressive. With him on the ice against Seattle, the Devils out-chanced the Kraken 8-0.
Since January 8, New Jersey holds a plus-29 high-danger chance differential and a plus-5 goal differential when Hamilton’s on the ice. In other words, when he’s out there, good things are happening - at both ends.
Defensively, he’s tightened up his game too. The Devils are allowing just 0.88 goals per 60 minutes with Hamilton on the ice during that stretch - the best mark among the team’s defensemen.
For comparison, Jonas Siegenthaler is second at 1.75. That’s a massive gap and a testament to how impactful Hamilton’s two-way game has become.
Keefe Rolls the Dice with Markstrom - and Comes Up Empty
Goaltending continues to be a roller coaster for the Devils, and Sunday was another dip in the ride.
After a rough outing in Vancouver, head coach Sheldon Keefe stuck with Jacob Markstrom, hoping for a bounce-back performance. “Marky wasn’t really happy with his game the other day,” Keefe said pregame.
“Despite that, he’s won four of his last five starts. This is a chance for him to get right back at it.”
It was a calculated risk - the kind that makes a coach look like a genius if it works. But this time, it didn’t.
Markstrom stopped just 15 of 18 shots (.833 save percentage), actually posting a lower save rate than he did in Vancouver. Seattle’s first goal came off a fluky bounce, but the real backbreaker came in the second period when the Kraken scored twice in just 18 seconds.
According to Moneypuck, those two goals had just 1.2% and 7.5% chances of going in - low-probability shots that found twine anyway. Markstrom finished the game with a minus-2.6 goals saved above expected, a number that speaks volumes. His season save percentage now sits at .879%, well below league average and a growing concern for a team with playoff aspirations.
Offense Still Searching for Consistency
The Devils’ offense has shown flashes, but consistency remains elusive - and it cost them again in Seattle.
Both of New Jersey’s goals came on the power play, and while the man-advantage production is a welcome sight, the lack of even-strength scoring continues to be a thorn in their side. They generated 1.96 expected goals at 5-on-5 but couldn’t convert any of them. That’s now three of four games on this trip where the Devils failed to score more than twice.
What’s more concerning is the silence from the team’s top guns. None of the “core four” - Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, or Jack Hughes - have scored at even strength on this road trip.
Since the calendar flipped to 2026, Bratt has three even-strength goals. Meier and Hischier have just one apiece.
Hughes? Still looking for his first.
The team has seen encouraging signs from the revamped fourth line, but without production from the stars, the scoring depth can only carry them so far.
What’s Next
Now sitting at 27-23-2, the Devils head back to Newark for a Tuesday night matchup against the Winnipeg Jets. It’s a chance to reset, regroup, and hopefully rediscover the balanced attack that made them such a dangerous team early in the season.
Hamilton’s resurgence is a major plus, and the power play is showing signs of life. But unless the goaltending stabilizes and the top-line talent starts delivering at even strength, the Devils will continue to find themselves on the wrong end of tight games.
Tuesday night offers a clean slate. Let’s see if they can make the most of it.