What went wrong
Home sickness: The Devils went 9-0-1 at Prudential Center to begin the season, tying the longest season-opening home point streak in their history (8-0-2 from Oct. 8-Dec. 6, 2016). From Nov. 29 through Feb. 25, however, they had a .250 home points percentage (4-13-1), which ranked last in the NHL, and knocked them out of playoff position. During the home slump, New Jersey averaged 2.00 goals per game and 3.22 goals-against.
Injury woes: Center Jack Hughes has missed 21 games this season, and without him they are 8-13-0. That includes 18 straight from Nov. 15-Dec. 19 because of a non-hockey injury to his hand. He returned Dec. 21 but sustained a lower-body injury against the Nashville Predators on Jan. 29 and missed three games before the 2026 Winter Olympics. Additionally, forward Evgenii Dadonov has been limited to 23 games because of injuries, and forward Stefan Noesen (knee) hasn't played since Jan. 8. Defensemen Johnathan Kovacevic didn't make his season debut until Jan. 11 following offseason knee surgery. Defensemen Brett Pesce, Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes, and forward Cody Glass also missed time.
Midseason drought: On Nov. 15, the Devils were tied for eighth in the NHL in goals per game (3.28), 13th in goals against per game (2.89) and fifth on the power play (25.5 percent) and penalty kill (84.9 percent). But in a 40-game stretch from Nov. 16-Feb. 25, they were last in the League in goals per game (2.13), tied for 17th in goals against per game (3.13), 21st on the power play (18.2 percent) and 22nd on the penalty kill (76.3 percent).
Reasons for optimism
Gritty Gritsyuk: Gritsyuk (6-foot, 195 pounds), selected in the fifth round (No. 129) of the 2019 NHL Draft, was impressive in his first season in North America. The 25-year-old left wing provided offense, but his defensive game was just as effective, allowing coach Sheldon Keefe to trust him in various situations and against the opposition's top lines. He had 31 points (13 goals, 18 assists) and averaged 15:10 of ice time in 66 games and formed line chemistry with center Cody Glass and rookie right wing Lenni Hameenaho. Gritsyuk is tied for 11th among NHL rookie forwards in on-ice goals-for at even strength (43) and the Devils controlled 57.2 percent of all shots attempted at 5-on-5 when he was on the ice. Gritsyuk last played March 24 because of an upper-body injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the season April 2 when he opted to have surgery.
Heart of Glass: Glass, acquired in a four-player trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 7, 2025, scored an NHL-career high 18 goals and has 25 points in 66 games, his highest total in three seasons. The Devils have a 52.1 percent on-ice goals-for percentage at 5-on-5 when Glass is on the ice, and his 54.2 percent success rate on face-offs is second on the team behind Nico Hischier (56.1 percent, minimum 200 face-offs). The 27-year-old has one season remaining on the two-year, $5 million contract ($2.5 million average annual value) he signed with the Devils on July 2, 2025.
The Hughes experience: Jack Hughes has been a force this season, and leads New Jersey with 72 points (25 goals, 47 assists) in 57 games. He became a national sports hero after scoring at 1:41 of overtime to give Team USA a 2-1 win against Team Canada in the gold medal game of the men's hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics. A whirlwind media tour followed, and Hughes said he was humbled by the whole experience. The 24-year-old returned to New Jersey a more confident and assertive player, and has 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) in 21 games since scoring the golden goal.
