The New Jersey Devils got blanked 3-0 by the Vegas Golden Knights in their own barn on Friday night — their fourth straight loss. To add insult to injury, former Devils netminder Akira Schmid notched the shutout with 24 saves.
Related: Vegas Golden Knights Hand New Jersey Devils Second Straight Shutout Loss
Markstrom Takes Major Responsibility
After Friday morning’s practice, head coach Sheldon Keefe said he “needed more from everybody”. Certainly, goaltending was a part of that, as the team came into the night with 13 goals allowed during the homestand, including an .845 save percentage (SV%), and minus-4.19 goals saved above expected (GSAx — via Moneypuck).
Tonight, Jacob Markstrom posted another performance that does not look great on paper: 24 of 27 saves (.889%). But the actual game tells a different story. He’d certainly want the first goal back — the Shea Theodore shot had just a 3.1% chance of being a goal. But afterwards, he made a plethora of key stops to keep the Devils in it. The other two goals against were both high danger opportunities on Vegas power plays — the second goal with a 43.1% chance of scoring and the third with a 79.1% chance. Both penalties were taken by Nico Hischier — one of the team’s best penalty killers. The units out there did not do nearly enough to keep Markstrom out of harm’s way.
When all was said and done, Markstrom stopped +0.53 goals above expected. It’s certainly not his fault the team didn’t score a single goal. Nonetheless, he shouldered the blame on himself postgame:
“I’ve gotta be better…[I could’ve stopped] all of them,” said Markstrom. “It’s frustrating…it should’ve been a 0-0 game coming into the last five minutes…I’m a goalie. That’s my job [to stop pucks].”
THIS ONE COUNTS 👍 pic.twitter.com/B4GVy14HXb
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) December 6, 2025
Hischier, the Captain, dispelled the notion: “No, no, no. We’re a team. We win together. We lose together. Marky had unbelievable saves in the second period, even in the first period, and we’ve got to put [up] a goal for him.”
While Markstrom may have been a little hard on himself, it’s clear the frustration has boiled over for him. His season SV% now stands at .876%.
Lack of Creation + Lack of Finishing = Bad Recipe
The Devils have certainly struggled to generate offense without Jack Hughes. Tonight was no different; they generated just 2.03 expected goals — their second-lowest total at home this season.
On top of that, they aren’t finishing their chances when they do get them. Including tonight, during this four-game skid, they generated 35 high danger opportunities at 5v5. They scored just three of them.
Since Oct. 30, the Devils have scored 11.40 goals below expected (via Natural Stat Trick). Even if they were finishing at an average rate, it might not be enough to consistently churn out wins with Jack out. A consistent inability to finish only makes it way harder.
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Akira Schmid makes a save on New Jersey Devils center Luke Glendening (Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images)
This skid has seen the Devils fall from the top of the Eastern Conference to seventh, outside of a playoff spot entirely. That’s why every game is so crucial in 2025-26.
When The Hockey Writers asked if the games feel more urgent than they would have at this point in previous seasons, Keefe said:
“It’s fair to say that. [The standings are] so tight. But I think any time you pile up a streak like this where you’re not getting any points, you’re gonna feel it. So it’s magnified, probably, with how tight it is. We got an eight-game win streak so we gave ourselves a little buffer there, but that’s running out. So you’ve got to get back up and get points. And I think, you know, getting out on the road comes at a really good time for us. It’s time to go…no time to waste and no time to wait. Just get right back to it tomorrow.”
Power Play Struggles Mightily
The Devils’ power play has operated a bit differently than in previous seasons; Keefe changes the units game-by-game as he sees fit, based on the opponent’s penalty killers.
Some critics thought early on that the unconventional strategy would prevent them from gaining any long-term chemistry. But the results were pretty solid early on; up until Wednesday against the Dallas Stars, the Devils’ power play percentage of 25.0% ranked fifth in the league.
However, in the last two games, it’s certainly taken a major step backwards. On Wednesday, they went 0-for-2. Tonight, they also went 0-for-2. Well, that happens to every team right!? Yes…but in those four power plays combined, the Devils have had just one single shot on goal. In the latter two chances, the Devils looked extremely discombobulated and were booed for about three-and-a-half of those four minutes.
“On the power play, it’s gotta be a little quicker,” said Keefe. “Quicker with your decisions, a little more assertive. When you’re squeezing the stick a little tight, you tend to overthink it.”
Moving Forward
The Devils — now 16-11-1 — will get right back into action tomorrow as they head north to face the Boston Bruins at TD Garden (7:00 PM EST).
