Are The New Jersey Devils The Team To Beat—or Just Riding A Hot Start?

As we enter the second month of the NHL season, it may feel too early to make any concrete decisions on a team.

However, with the 32 teams averaging nine games played after October 26th, we have already completed 10% of the NHL season.

And, as the age-old adage goes, you cannot win your division within the first month, but you can lose it.

So, with the Carolina Hurricanes set as the preseason favorite for the division, anyone looking to take the division from them could ill afford a slow start to the season.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals took this advice, starting the year with 13 and 12 points, respectively, in their first nine games.

This would be the storyline of the division if it were not for the New Jersey Devils jumping out to a three-point divisional lead throughout their first nine games.

This hot start to the season has given the Devils the best record in the NHL. Could this lead to the Devils’ first Metropolitan title since the league’s realignment?

New Jersey was given the difficult task of starting their season on the road in Carolina. Despite the 6-3 finish, the Devils lead the Hurricanes entering the third period, and only trailed by one before giving up the decisive empty-netter.

From that loss, the Devils have yet to lose again, winning eight straight over teams like the Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, and Colorado Avalanche.

This year, the Devils are third in the league in goals for and goals against. A majority of the team’s success has come from special teams, which currently has a 30.8% power play and a 93.6% penalty kill.

For reference, the league average for both of these percentages is 21.9% power play and 78.8% penalty kill.

These rates, similar to the team’s 8-game winning streak, will not continue at their current pace. Plus, the Devils have made a habit of starting the season strong.

After the first month of last season, the Devils finished 10-5-2, with a 4-1 stretch in their first five games.

However, there are noticeable differences in the keys to this team’s success that are different than those in recent history.

For one, the team has sustained this early success after obtaining early injuries.

Specifically on the defensive side, the Devils were already forced to place goaltender Jacob Markstrom and defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic on the Injured Reserve.

Now, the Devils will be without Luke Hughes’ partner on the top defensive line, as Brett Pesce will not be traveling with the team after suffering an injury in their eighth consecutive victory.

Coming into the year, the Devils did not make significant additions to the roster. The biggest contracts given out in the offseason were a four-year, $12 million contract to forward Connor Brown and a five-year, $9 million extension of goaltender Jake Allen.

Between Brown’s five goals and Allen’s 5-0 record and 1.93 Goals Against Average in net, they have already begun to pay off their new deals.

The lack of higher-AAV contracts in the offseason was a testament to the roster General Manager Tom Fitzgerald has created.

Since the Devils’ 2023 Second Round exit from the postseason, injuries to the core of the team in back-to-back seasons have been why they have only one playoff win since then.

When healthy, New Jersey has proven to be a roster capable of winning a Stanley Cup.

However, a team is never healthy throughout a Stanley Cup run. So the Devils’ ability to overcome these early obstacles could be significant in testing their depth.

In preparation for a playoff run, the other distinction New Jersey is looking to make is in its style of play.

As the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions have shown the rest of the league, sacrificing your body is still a top requirement to win in the playoffs.

Last season, the Devils collected 127 blocked shots in their first nine games. This year, they have already blocked 170 pucks.

This protection of the goaltender without Markstrom between the pipes may be part of this statistic being higher. However, the team’s emphasis on defense, alongside the increased offensive zone time over last season, has shown some playoff-centric differences by Head Coach Sheldon Keefe.

But, at the end of the day, the team will go as far as their top six will bring them. And this top six has been the reason for their undefeated start.

Center Jack Hughes leads the way with an NHL-leading 8 goals and 12 points. Winger Jesper Bratt, center Nico Hischier, and defenseman Simon Nemec are all tied for the team lead with seven assists.

The Devils have even received contributions from their rookie forwards, Arseny Grisyuk, who has six points in his first nine career games.

We will see if the divisional lead grows as they begin a four games in six days West Coast trip.

However, the early signs out of New Jersey show a team that can threaten Carolina for the division.

Winning the Metropolitan would mean a lot more than just hoisting another banner.

It would also give the Devils home ice advantage over the Hurricanes, who have ended the Devils’ season in each of their previous two playoffs.