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New Jersey Devils celebrate a goal (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

3 Positive Trends in Devils’ Late-Season Surge

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Donnah Campbell | Last updated Mar 13, 2026 11:15 AM ET

It’s safe to say that the season has not gone to plan for the New Jersey Devils. After streaks of inconsistency, injuries, and offensive difficulties, the team welcomed the chance to regroup on their current seven-game homestand. So far, the results have been favorable, with a 4-2-0 record since the end of February. But now that their playoff chances have dwindled to just .3%, their main focus should be on increasing confidence and stability.

A four-game win streak provided fans with a burst of hope, but what in particular allowed the Devils to find success? Here are three factors contributing to their current redemption arc.

Scoring the First Goal

In total, the Devils have surrendered the first goal 38 times throughout 65 games — a 58.5% metric that’s haunted the team all season long. It should come as no surprise that during their five-game losing streak that began at the end of January, they also gave up the first goal each time.

But that all changed last week against the St. Louis Blues, when Timo Meier came barreling up the ice on a feed from Brett Pesce. Fans breathed a collective sigh of relief when the Devils also scored the opening goal the following game against the Florida Panthers, courtesy of Arseny Gritsyuk, a feat they managed again four days later against the New York Rangers.

Too many times this season, the Devils have had to crawl their way out of a deficit, falling victim to errors that allow their opponent to control the pace of a given game. Not only that, but it diminishes the team’s confidence in their goaltending and defensive structures.

However, what made their recent win streak stand out was their performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Even when the Devils allowed Toronto to strike first, they were able to tie the game three more times before pulling off an epic 4-3 shootout win. This provided ample confidence when they faced the Rangers. In addition to making it onto the scoreboard first, the Devils also scored three unanswered goals in the third period.

Special Teams Improvement

The Devils’ power play has struggled as of late. Their 21.7% success rate puts them 14th in the league, worlds apart from finishing last season with the third-best power play in the NHL.

Before their four-game streak, the last time they earned a power-play goal was on Jan. 27 against the Winnipeg Jets. But Dougie Hamilton ended the drought against the Blues, scoring the second goal to help the Devils earn a 3-1 victory. Their early March dominance on the man advantage continued against the Rangers, after the Devils opened the floodgates and treated the home crowd to three power-play goals.

In a similar fashion, their penalty kill has also been trending upwards. Since the start of 2026, they’ve gone 53 for 61 (86.9%) on the penalty kill, allowing just eight goals as compared to giving up 25 in Oct.-Nov.

So far this month, the Devils have excelled when down a man, halting their opponents with a combination of blocking shots, maintaining puck possession, and steady goaltending. They’ve also been able to generate quite a few scoring chances while shorthanded. Based on data from Natural Stat Trick, the Devils have 1.13 expected goals for every 60 minutes (xGF/60) during 4-on-5 scenarios. All in all, special teams have led the charge during their current late-season surge.

Jacob Markstrom’s Resurgence

No one deserves redemption more than Jacob Markstrom, who’s struggled to find his footing all season long. His save percentage (SV%) may have been a rollercoaster of ups and downs within the last few months, but things started to look up at the end of February.

He started strong on the road with a .962 SV%, allowing only one goal against the Blues. This was followed by another impressive performance against the Panthers, where he stopped 20 out of 21 shots faced. Markstrom went on to earn a four-game win streak — his longest streak of the season so far.

However, there are definitely repercussions to starting the veteran goalie six games in a row. In his last four games, he’s allowed three or more goals, most recently letting in five against the Calgary Flames on Thursday. Even though he’s had a decent stretch of games, it’s important to balance the workload with Jake Allen, who hasn’t played since Feb. 25. Instead of starting one or the other for extended stretches of time, head coach Sheldon Keefe needs to trade off who starts in net on a more frequent basis.

Nonetheless, Markstrom’s recent improvement is a positive sign of what the rest of the season could look like, after months of shaky goaltending amid offensive slumps and defensive lapses.

Devils’ Focus Moving Forward

After finding themselves on a decent win streak, the Devils are once again trying to turn things around. Between scoring the first goal, finding special teams consistency, and enjoying solid goaltending, it looks like they have the potential to finish the season strong. Can they continue to turn things around with just 17 games at hand?