With a pair of back to back shutout wins, today we ask if the Devils summer moves are finally bringing about the expected results.
There’s nothing quite as sweet as watching our New Jersey Devils down a divisional rival, except perhaps getting it done via shutout. Twice… over a three day span… with only twelve shots on goal each time.
Jerseys Team took down the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 this past Saturday in their second to last game before a short Christmas break. They followed that up with a 5-0 drubbing of Our Hated Rivals two days later. What was consistent in both? The Devils only allowed 12 shots to reach their goaltender in each contest and Jacob Markstrom, in net for both, didn’t allow any of said shots past him. With these two games and Markstrom’s recent record, it leads me to today’s question: is the defending and goaltending starting to click?
Now I have to make a small amendment here, as when I say “the goaltending” I mean Markstrom. Jake Allen has sadly not been good lately. He has lost his last three contests, allowing three or more goals in each while posting a save percentage of .870 or lower. Markstrom meanwhile is 8-1-1 in his last 10 contests and has won five straight. In those five wins, the lowest save percentage he’s posted is a .929. The Devils in front of him have helped as well, as he faced 20 shots or fewer in all five of those games.
I have to assume this is what Tom Fitzgerald envisioned when he started to trade and sign players last summer. First it was Markstrom, and then Johnny Kovacevic, Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon to reshape the defense. Pesce and Luke Hughes were a bit late to the 2024-25 party due to injuries, but since their returns, the team has been playing quite well. Sure there’s a bad game here and there, but no NHL team goes 82-0-0. Even when the result isn’t in their favor, there’s a lot to like from the Devils.
The team isn’t perfect, and there’s some parts of the game to clean up, but credit Sheldon Keefe and the system he has the team playing. Players don’t look out of place or disengaged. Guys know when to pinch, and even at times when it goes wrong, credit the defending because the players are doing what they need to get the puck back. The Devils of this season are battling more and getting pinned in and pushed back less. Again, it isn’t completely gone, but even the best teams can be hemmed in at times. Credit the forwards here too, because to hold teams to just 12 shots on goal in back to back games takes everyone buying in and playing in all three zones.
The Devils are set to take on Carolina in a home and home set starting tomorrow. These two games will be a good test of whether or not things have truly clicked. I don’t expect only 12 SOG in either game, but I do expect the Devils keeping shots and dangerous chances low. That’s what has led them to success in recent games and the few losses they’ve taken have seen them get away from that. More points in the standings are what we want this weekend and for that to happen the Devils need to play a pair of strong, structured games. And they need their defending and goaltending to fire on all cylinders as well.
What are your thoughts on the Devils goaltending and defending; have they finally found a winning formula? Do you think Markstrom deserves a bigger share of the credit with how differently the team is performing with different goalies lately? Are you concerned the last two wins only happened due to the opponents being weaker teams? Is this Devils team finally the real deal after years of disappointment? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading!