After dealing with a plethora of injuries throughout the first few months of the season, the New Jersey Devils are now almost fully healthy — with the exception of Dougie Hamilton, who remains on the injured list.
But despite Jack Hughes returning to the lineup and making an immediate impact, the team is struggling mightily out of the All-Star break. The Devils have lost three of four and five of eight to drop to 28-24-4 and five points back of the final wildcard berth in a competitive Eastern Conference.
It doesn’t help that the team has been blown out twice since the 2024 Stadium Series, exacerbated by an embarrassing 5-1 loss to rival New York Rangers on home ice on Thursday night. And Hughes, who scored the Devils’ only goal late in the third, was not at all happy after the loss.
“We’ve got to digest tonight and then we’ve got to wrap our heads around changing our attitude and really believing in ourselves,” the young superstar explained Hughes, per ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. “Not just talking and saying that, but actually doing that. I’m obviously not playing at my best but got to find a way to get to that point and help us make a push.”
“We need that ‘next game’ mentality,” echoed D-man and Jack’s brother Luke. “I think everyone knows that tonight wasn’t a good game for everyone. So we’ve got to come back and do our jobs.”
Devils must either heat up or watch playoff slip away
This is a far cry from a 2022-23 New Jersey Devils team that finished No. 3 in league standings and came within three victories of advancing to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2012.
“They’ve probably done a better than expected job for me and they’re going to continue to grow,” bench boss Lindy Ruff said of his team’s recent struggles. “But with young defense, there’s going to be mistakes. There be some poor decisions at times, but you have to just live with that and you got to grow through it.”
It’s clear that Dougie Hamilton is badly, badly missed on the back end. The goaltending has also been a problem; rookie Nico Daws has been solid between the pipes, but it’s no secret that the team is looking to upgrade that position before the Mar. 8 NHL Trade Deadline.
It’s also been speculated that Jack Hughes isn’t at 100 percent after missing 11 games with an upper-body injury, which the head coach confirmed.
“Is he 100%? He’s not 100%, no,” Ruff asserted, per Wyshynski. “Jack is battling hard. Probably not happy with his game, but he’s battling hard here to do whatever he can do to help us win a hockey game.”
After a thrilling Stadium Series win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night, it’s been two straight losses to Metro teams. If that keeps happening down the stretch, it could lead to something no one in Newark expected: a playoff-less 2023-24 campaign.
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