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

Devils Showing Resilience in Final Stretch of the Season

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Donnah Campbell | Last updated Mar 18, 2026 10:45 AM ET

After struggling to find their footing all season long, the New Jersey Devils are on the cusp of the one thing that’s constantly evaded them: consistency. Their most recent seven-game homestand ended in a 5-2-0 record — the team’s best stretch of home games since October. They won two consecutive games on a back-to-back, took down the New York Rangers, then went on to defeat the Los Angeles Kings and the Boston Bruins.

The Devils are still fighting goal deficits left and right, but now the team is playing with a renewed sense of urgency and energy. If they can maintain their current pace, there’s a high likelihood the team can climb the standings before the season concludes.

Overcoming Goal Deficits

For the majority of the 2025-26 season, the Devils’ script remained the same. Despite making a valiant effort, the team frequently surrendered the first goal, bringing defeat time and time again. As a result, it caused players’ confidence to dwindle, forcing them into a kind of offensive desperation that allows even more mistakes.

But what makes the Devils’ current run stand out is their ability to overcome adversity. For example, they surrendered the first goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but kept pace with them throughout the rest of the game. The Devils managed to tie the score three times before clinching a win in the shootout.

Another strong win for the Devils came against the Kings. After scoring two unanswered goals, they allowed the Kings to score three in a row, starting the third period in a deficit. However, the Devils came out on top with four goals in the third, powering ahead for a gutsy 6-4 victory.

Similarly, their resilience allowed them to pull through against the Bruins on Monday night. Things were looking grim in the first period, when the visitors were up 2-0 after 20 minutes. But instead of being shaken, the Devils came out swinging in the second, scoring 32 seconds in, after Connor Brown found himself on a breakaway. The end result was a thrilling 4-3 overtime win for the Devils, marking an epic conclusion to their homestand.

Depth Scoring Shines

The next important facet of the Devils’ recent success comes from an all-hands-on-deck mentality. In their last five wins, the game-winning goals have come from top contributors and depth scorers alike.

What’s even more promising is that all of their recent victories involved scoring three or more goals — something the team has struggled with, considering they were unable to score more than one goal per game throughout their February losing skid.

Instead of relying solely on key goal scorers like Nico Hischier, the team is seeing players like Brown, Arseny Gritsyuk, and Paul Cotter step up at the tail end of the season. With two goals and six assists in his last seven games, Brown has been the exact kind of reliable veteran scorer that the team needs. Likewise, their Russian rookie sensation has amped up his point production, finding success on the third line alongside Cody Glass and Lenni Hameenaho.

One player who’s stood out in particular is Cotter. After going pointless throughout January, he scored the only goal in the Devils’ 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins last month. And now, he’s become a hero outside of regulation.

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— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) March 17, 2026

Cotter scored in the shootout against the Leafs, then gave Devils’ fans plenty to cheer for against the Bruins. He secured a 3-2 lead at the start of the third period, then scored the first overtime goal of his career with seven seconds left on the clock. All in all, the Devils seem to have found their stride once again since returning from the Olympic break.

Improved Efficiency at 5-on-5

Another improvement that fans should be excited about is the Devils’ recent play during 5-on-5 scenarios. In their last five games, they’ve scored 10 goals in 5-on-5 situations.

The Devils managed two 5-on-5 goals against the Rangers, but also generated an impressive amount of scoring chances. For example, they recorded 38 unblocked shot attempts for, as compared to just 22 against, making for a 63.33% Fenwick.

Even during their two consecutive losses, they demonstrated improvement. The Devils had more shot attempts and scoring chances than the Detroit Red Wings and the Calgary Flames. They even scored twice against the Flames in 5-on-5 scenarios, even though they allowed four goals against in return.

A large part of their recent success is due to head coach Sheldon Keefe’s line changes — particularly their third line of Hameenaho-Glass-Gritsyuk. Against the Kings, this line contributed two 5-on-5 goals in just 10:34 of ice time. Then, against the Bruins, their top line contributed another two goals, courtesy of Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, and Brown. The Devils’ improved 5-on-5 efficiency marks yet another way they can end the season strong.

After months of struggling, fans finally have something to look forward to. The Devils might have only 15 games left, but they’re playing with poise and confidence, able to thrive without pressure or impossibly high stakes. Now that the team has proven they can be resilient in the face of adversity, they must maintain their current momentum until the end of the season.