The New Jersey Devils Have A Pulse! | Looking At Path To Playoffs & More

40 comments

1. Im cautiously optimistic, id love to see at least 6-7 wins before the olympics. I'd be fine with 5, if they can build off last night in a big way, we could start making noise again. Changes still have to be made, but last night was nice.

2. Love the effort yesterday, would love to see them do this for 5 games in a row, win most of those

3. It's Mom's Meatballs on Sunday night! LGD!

4. I'll never be truly happy until the bald man is fired, but since, let's face it, nothing's probably going to happen during the season, I'm adjusting my expectations. Tread water until the Olympic break and really turn it around after, and perhaps more players on the bench can be spared from our wrath.

   If these guys play all 60 minutes, not 40, not 20 (in the case of Jan. 6th, 0), but all 60, this team can be good. Still will not be convinced we're true cup contenders again until major shakeups both on the bench and in the office are made.

   Edit: nvm bruh I just got to the math portion they need to break out NOW they had a cushion and they dug themselves in this hole they don't get any more leeway

5. I’m not convinced and they can’t fool me that easily. Last night showed they can win when they play 60 mins (which is a rarity) but we are a seriously flawed team. Need to see a larger sample size before my thoughts about this team change.

6. I need to become a major shareholder of HBSE so that we can do more than just hope & wish, which is all that Ditzgerald seems intent on doing.

7. 15:27 The eyeroll at the upcoming Carolina game is so real. The camera quality's looking great & congrats on 8k!

8. Dougie is out, and he’s back in. Simon, you’re out, but you’ll be right back in. Quinn is coming, sorry bros, he’s not coming. Jake and Marky: you two keep taking turns. I don’t think this is a happy locker room

9. Marky on Wednesday

10. Nice to see Palat remember how to play hockey

11. Markstrom is due for a stretch of good games here

12. The Devils have a better chance of finishing in 3rd place in the Metro Division. They're 4 points behind Philadelphia with 2 more games played (just like they are with Buffalo), and they only have to jump over 3 teams.

13. Dougie needs to be moved, though. Fitzgerald needs to be fired and NJ should trade for Sherwood once Hamilton gets moved.

14. That last game was good man, wish i can see them live, i live in tampa, so i probably end up seeing the lighting first but being from Nj, devils is my team.

15. Fire Fitz

16. I got pulled into predicting a few weeks ago and I try to avoid it knowing it’s not over till they are mathematically eliminated. I’m just going to ride it out and what happens, happens.
    LGD!

17. This game might be a fluke due to the Hughes bowl visability, don't get your hopes too high, this roster isn't it.

18. Why couldn't they play all season like they did last night? Carolina at the Rock soon and we owe them. I fucking hate them.

19. Every team in the East .500 and above this late in the season is insane. Going to take another long heater to get above the pack. Some Claude Lemieux at his dirtiest type hockey playing the Canes on Saturday would be great. If you cannot beat them, make them bleed. Lets Go Devils!

20. "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." Yup, just paint a big S on my forehead and call me a sucker. Last night's game actually infuriated me inasmuch as it reminded me of how they could have / should have been playing all along.

21. Fitz has no clue what to do. He’ll most likely hold out till after the olympics and see if they can climb out of the hole they’re in themselves and add a depth piece or two come the deadline. No way he pulls the trigger on moving hamilton and bringing in a legit scorer.

22. I'm still going with the assumption that they're more likely to lose any given game. They've certainly have had good games in the past few weeks, only to lose every other game for the rest of the week. They need to earn their way back to being a respected team. From my standpoint they're in rebuilding mode, starting from rock bottom.

23. Last night looked like Selke Nico

24. Great win, but I am still doubtful; hoping they can right the ship and pull off a 4 or 5 game win streak.

25. Great to see a win with how the Devils been lately, I love how you keep it real with us Ace

26. Hey Ace, do you do your own thumbnails?

27. I'm not getting excited till they put together a win streak. Even if it's 4 in a row (the standard we were trying to reach at the start of this year).

    I said they would be fine once they got healthy. Maybe this was a just painful, excruciating delay, but I still hope I'm right about that.

    Like you said: Hischier looked a lot better. Bratt is scoring. Dougie had two assists(???) Palat finally buried a couple of chances. And most important: Jack still hasn't really been Jack yet.

    Also you're right about Markstrom – it takes a lot to come back from that Islander debacle and have a solid game, like it never happened. And he didn't make an issue of it w the coach for not pulling him.

    It's not hopeless. But we don't need "steps" anymore. We need wins.

28. Hi Ace, the boys were incredible last night¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡. Being a Devils fan is a real challenge, because it's true, they amaze us night after night, then disappoint us completely. I saw ´em last year and i wanted to see more of ´em, especially Jack and Pesce, because they both stood out. Now, I want to see this team work their magic and surprise us, because they can make it. And I believe in them. i mean it, despite everything. we´ll see what happens🥰🥰🥰. GOOO DEVILS❣🖤❣🖤

29. with the playoff race this close most teams will have to finish around 700% to make it…. its not looking great to be honest for us

30. Cotter was working as well

31. Said it before…this team is bipolar…one night we get the cup contender NJ Devils….the other night we get the peewee NJ Devils. Consistently inconsistent…realistically though, I just think it's the drama going on in the locker room and the uncertainty of ownership. However, I am hoping this season is like the 2025 calendar year I had at work…I started off great. I was in the top 10% of the company. Things looked very promising for the end of the year, because if you finish in the top 8%, you are eligible for special bonuses. Then around the middle of the year, idk why, but my team was targeted with unsuspected audits. Everyone's numbers on my team took a hit, including mine. I dropped down to the top 30%. Well after the hit, the bad numbers continued for about 2 months..But then, slowly but surely, I started clawing back…then in November, I saw my perseverance paid off. I saw that I was in the top 9.5%. I made a last minute surge in December. And today, I just got the word, the numbers are pretty much official…I finished in the top 7%. Hoping the same thing happens with the Devils…hoping they claw their way back, and make that last minute surge in March/April…because if they get hot then, going into the playoffs, ANYTHING can happen.

32. Team is healthier half the season left

33. All we ask for is some consistency. Can they please just show this effort every other night for 60 full minutes. I pray #LGD

34. Hope they keep it up. The lines last night were working. Nico, Mercer, and Palat seemed to click. And Timo on Jacks line could be something. Cotters puck control and forecheck was awesome.

35. Metro is awful this year. Might not take as many wins, but you’re right that they have to leapfrog so many teams that it’s unlikely

36. The Ondrej Palat redemption tour starts now!!.. 🙏

37. I’ve defended Palat all season. I still believe this team would be massively hurt if we lost him.

    I do believe however Keefe has not managed our personnel well this year and is the MAIN reason we are in this position. Timo not on PP1, Hamilton not on PP1, not benching Luke early in the season, and much more. I’ve not changed my opinion all season and I truly believe if he had managed this team better we wouldn’t be in this position.

38. It would be a shame to see us become one of the best teams in the league thru end of season but just miss the playoffs and be playing best hockey of the year. That would be a gut wrencher

39. Win 6 in a row.. then see where they are.. is 6 really that much to ask? 5 more

40. I think you hit it on the head “when they try” because last night was a real effort the past 20 not so much. I watch them all win or lose I’m looking for effort and it wasn’t there but agreed if they can play like that or even close to that every night they have a shot.