The Benchmarks | 10 TAKEAWAYS

As I was driving home from Sunday night's win against the Carolina Hurricanes, I was thinking about how that game was probably one of the most significant games of the season, based on the standings alone. To tie the Hurricanes in points with 94 and share a portion of first place in the Metropolitan division, at this time of year, felt very big.
I'd been asking players and coaches recently about what the drive to an end of a season is like between the grind of knowing you're out of the playoffs, versus the grind of being in the final stretch toward them. Everyone had the same answer. One is a grind, the latter is fun. Serious, but fun.
Playing Carolina - shutting them out the way they did, playing one of their best defensive games- was a game you circle as a benchmark one. A test passed.
It also got me thinking about other benchmarks and important games this year, and while I won't fill all 10 Takes this week with them, a couple of them will bring us back.

2.

The Anaheim game wasn't what started the 13-game win streak, but it certainly shifted the overall mood. Three games later, on the second half of a back-to-back, a night after losing to the Washington Capitals 6-3, the Devils were handed another blow. Ondrej Palat was out (the update of a lengthy absence would come a day later), one of the marquee off-season additions and a veteran leader would be missing.
But the team went out and had themselves a night with a 6-2 win against Detroit. That game would start the 13-game run, the run that feels like it completely changed the trajectory of the season.
This game has to factor in as one of the most important of the season to date.

3.

The next one that sticks out might be less obvious.
It was Nov. 25, 2022, in Buffalo.
The win streak had just come to an end in that heart-wrenching three no-goal game against Toronto. The ultimate blow.
So the response game was going to be enormous. The mantra had been don't lose two in a row. Well, this was the test.
Even though it was Buffalo, who had been struggling out of the gate, they were 9-12-0 at the time, this was about the Devils own response. The loss to Toronto was the blip on the radar, after a 3-1 win in Buffalo, firing 44 shots at Craig Anderson in net, they were back in the win column, ready to roll again.
Turning the loss in Toronto right around into a win the next game felt important to avoid any feeling of here we go again.

4.

Another one for the history books this season... the Devils became the first team in NHL history to dress and play four players from Switzerland in a single game. Akira Schmid suited up and played against the Washington Capitals tipped the scales at four players with Timo Meier, Nico Hischier and Jonas Siegenthaler.
As Lindy Ruff said, we've got a little Swiss Empire.

5.

The most significant quote that came out of the post-game media availabilities was probably something Jesper Bratt said. It was all-encompassing of the ups and downs the team has faced this season. As a team, I'm certain they will be the first to admit they haven't accomplished anything yet, but in theory, they have.
Here's a group that selected No. 2 at last year's draft, finished toward the bottom of the standings, that struggled to hang on to leads, a team that required seven goaltenders, two of who were rookies. It was a year that tested just about everyone. So yes, in a practical sense, nothing has been accomplished - there's no X next to the team name in the standings that indicated a clinched playoff spot, but to be where they are, at this time of the year, it's not by accident.
"We've worked extremely hard for this," Bratt shared, "it has been a lot of years, a lot of hard, tough years and that brings us a lot of motivation that we want even more." -

6.

Speaking of clinching... the Devils Magic Number is 10.
They need 10 points in their final 16 games to clinch their playoff berth.

7.

Can the team get 7 more wins in their final 16 games? That's completely doable if not more than. Seven more wins would tie the franchise record for wins in a season (51). And I say they set a new record this year.

8.

One thing I've noticed particularly about this season is how Jesper Bratt is always out for morning skate a little earlier than in past years. He's always on the ice with skills development coach Ryan Murphy working on his small ice work and his shot. Murph is around a lot, sometimes organizing the skills work practices, but he's been a noticeable figure at morning skates at home this season, out early, particularly with Bratt.

9.

It's been a long time since the Devils franchise has had 25 road wins in a single season... you'd have to go all the way back to 1998-99 the last time that happened.
Over the weekend in Montreal, New Jersey picked up their 25th road win of the year, which is the second-most in franchise history. Only in 1998-99 did they win more road games with a 28-10-3 record.
There are eight away games left this season.

10.

Last week's No. 9 takeaway was this:
Really hoping I'm not jinxing things for tonight's game.
The Devils and Leafs are the only two teams in the league this season who have yet to be shut out by an opponent.
I'm not going to lie, there was a pretty long stretch there where I felt like I had definitely jinxed things. Ilya Samsonov looked impenetrable and I thought I had done them in.
Needless to say, when Erik Haula scored at 16:47 of the second period, I signed some major relief.
Still, a week later, the Devils and Leafs remain the only two teams without being shut out.