Devils Fall to Jets on Emotional Night Marked by MacLean Honor, Palat Trade, and Goaltending Struggles
Tuesday night was supposed to be a celebration in Newark. The Devils honored franchise legend John MacLean, inducting the longtime forward and Stanley Cup champion into the team’s Ring of Honor. With a host of Devils greats in the building and a playoff race heating up, the stage was set for a big performance.
Instead, it was a night filled with distractions, breakdowns, and ultimately, disappointment. New Jersey dropped a 4-3 decision to the Winnipeg Jets, undone by defensive lapses and goaltending that couldn’t hold the line when it mattered most.
And that was only part of the story.
Palat Traded Mid-Game in Surprise Move
The biggest shock of the night didn’t come on the ice - it came on the transaction wire. Forward Ondrej Palat was held out of the lineup for what the team initially called “roster-related reasons.” Minutes later, the news broke: Palat had been traded to the New York Islanders in a mid-game deal.
The Devils sent Palat, along with a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 sixth-rounder, to the Isles in exchange for forward Maxim Tsyplakov.
It’s a move that caught everyone off guard - including the locker room.
“It’s challenging, but it’s part of the business,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said postgame. “We’re going to miss Pally.
He’s a tremendous guy, great leader, and sets the tone with his work ethic. A lot of what he brought didn’t always show up on the scoresheet, but it mattered.”
Palat’s departure leaves a leadership void in the room and a veteran presence off the ice. For a Devils team still trying to find consistency, losing a player who’s “been there, done that” stings - especially on a night that already had emotional weight.
Goaltending Falters as Defensive Cracks Reemerge
While the Palat trade made headlines, the game itself told a familiar story: the Devils couldn’t get the saves they needed.
Despite allowing just 1.59 expected goals at 5-on-5, goaltender Jake Allen surrendered four - a swing of 2.41 goals below expected, per Natural Stat Trick. That’s a tough number to overcome, especially when the team’s defensive structure isn’t airtight.
And it wasn’t. The Devils gave up multiple odd-man rushes and looked disjointed in their own zone - a far cry from the disciplined, structured hockey they played during their recent three-game road winning streak.
During that stretch, Devils goaltenders posted a combined .914 save percentage and outperformed expectations by 1.55 goals. The defense also tightened up, allowing just 2.20 expected goals against per 60 minutes - well below their season average.
But in the two games since, the save percentage has cratered to .841, and the margin for error has disappeared.
Keefe didn’t sugarcoat it.
“Tonight was going to require extreme focus, commitment, discipline, structure - all those things,” he said. “We just didn’t have it.
Everything that was the foundation for us on the road, it wasn’t there today. You can’t outscore your problems.”
Cody Glass Injured After Blocking Shot
As if the night needed more adversity, the Devils may have lost one of their hottest players in Cody Glass.
Midway through the second period, Glass took a slapshot to the leg and immediately went down in visible pain. He limped to the bench and tried to gut it out in the tunnel area, but eventually made his way to the locker room and did not return.
“Obviously, he was unable to finish the game,” Keefe said. “He’ll need further testing to know exactly what’s going on.”
Losing Glass for any length of time would be a significant blow. He’s been one of the Devils’ most effective forwards over the past couple weeks, bringing energy, creativity, and a scoring touch the team has leaned on during critical stretches.
What’s Next
Now sitting at 27-24-2, the Devils will need to regroup quickly. They’ll stay home to host the Nashville Predators on Thursday night, looking to shake off the distractions and rediscover the structure that fueled their recent success.
The playoff race isn’t going to wait - and if Tuesday night was any indication, the Devils still have work to do to prove they’re ready for it.