NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – MARCH 04: Paul Cotter #47 of the New Jersey Devils scores a shootout goal against Anthony Stolarz #41 of the Toronto Maple Leafs at Prudential Center on March 04, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Maple Leafs 4-3 in the shootout. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) Getty Images
Who are these guys and what did they do with the New Jersey Devils?
Where was this effort during the Devils’ 97-day pratfall from atop the Eastern Conference standings on Nov. 29, to 14th in the conference today? Was one of the worst collapses in franchise history really just a function of a freak injury to Jack Hughes? Is the Devils’ three-game winning streak as much a reflection of a lack of competition – St. Louis, Florida, and Toronto are all pretty terrible – as it is anything the Devils have done these past three games?
Probably something that’s weighing on the mind of general manager Tom Fitzgerald as he decides just how much he wants to change up his roster heading into this Friday’s trade deadline.
Because this Devils team, these past three games, looks a lot more like everyone envisioned it would, than the sad sack mess that’s spent three months all but daring ownership to fire head coach Sheldon Keefe, Fitzgerald, or both.
Take Wednesday night’s 4-3 shootout win over the Leafs.
The Devils almost doubled up the Leafs in shots (47-27).
The Devils got a goal from Timo Meier and a shootout goal from Jesper Bratt. They got a two-point night from captain Nico Hischier and Luke Hughes almost single-handedly created a goal through his speed off the rush.
Connor Brown, one of Fitzgerald’s free agent signings last summer, scored a late goal to send the game to overtime.
The much-maligned Jacob Markstrom, starting for the second time in as many nights, was outstanding again. He made 24 saves, including a left pad stop on Toronto’s Nicholas Roberston with just over 30 seconds to play to get the Devils to overtime.
The Devils even showed a ton of fight. For a team that’s folded time and again the past three months, packing it in at the first sign of adversity, these Devils were downright resilient.
They battled back from three different one-goal deficits Wednesday night.
Meier scored just 2 minutes, 29 seconds after Toronto’s Matias Maccelli made it 1-0. He picked up his 17th of the year by one-timing a backhand pass from Hischier past Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz to tie the game at 1-1 at 7:55 of the first.
The Leafs went up 2-1 on a William Nylander goal, but rookie Arseny Gritsyuk got the Devils even at 2-2 with his second in as many nights at 6:06 of the second.
The Leafs went back up 3-2 on Matthew Knies 16th of the year at 13:50 of the third, But again the lead was short-lived. This time it was Brown tying the game off a rush started by Luke Hughes with only 2:21 to play.
Markstrom would come up with the save of the night on Robertson not long after to force overtime. He then stopped Nylander and Auston Matthews’ shootout attempts, while Paul Cotter and Bratt scored on both Devils’ attempts to secure the win.
The Devils continue their seven-game homestand by hosting the New York Rangers, who currently sit last in the Eastern Conference standings at 23-29-8, at 3 pm, Saturday in a nationally televised game on ABC. It’s the first of just three meetings between the rivals this season and the Rangers only Prudential Center appearance this season. The other two meetings are at Madison Square Garden on March 18 and March 31. The Rangers are 2-6-2 in their last 10. They host Toronto on Thursday night.
I think a lot of what we’ve seen the last three games comes from the season being “unofficially” officially over – even the ESPN crew repeatedly mentioned that the Devils are just playing out the string – and a complete and utter lack of pressure to perform against some pretty bad competition. That said, it’s easy to look at these games and wonder what might have been if Jack Hughes was a little better at cutting his steak or holding a wine glass. … There’s not a lot of tough games left on the schedule. Is there any chance they could actually make a run at a spot? Still five more games on the current homestand. If they hadn’t been so bad at home. …. Do the last few games make anyone feel better about what’s been an awful season, or hopeful for next year?