New Jersey Devils: Homestand Ends With A Winning Record

The New Jersey Devils are 3-2-0 following a Tuesday night loss to the Calgary Flames. It had been almost two years since the two teams have met but Calgary came out firing in this one. It was as good of a performance as they could possibly have in the first period which got them out to a 4-0 lead. That led to the winning of the hockey game by a final score of 5-3.

The Devils actually played much better in the later stages of the game, but the first-period disaster was too much to overcome. That led to their homestand ending with a whimper but they come out with a winning record. It was a great way to bank six points out of ten in the early going.

Elite teams probably get more than that but the Devils aren’t an elite team yet. They are, however, a good team that could have a very nice year. They are mostly comprised of very young players that are still developing.

During this homestand, we learned that Dawson Mercer is probably going to stick in the NHL now. He has made plays, scored goals, and been a great two-way centerman in every game. As they get ready for their first road game of the season, he will be with them and help in a big way.

Part of the reason that Mercer has had elevated ice time over the last few games has been the injury to Jack Hughes. He hurt himself in the second game of the season against the Seattle Kraken. He has yet to return, but it shouldn’t be too long before he is back. New Jersey has to be hoping that he gets back soon enough to stay in the rhythm that he was in.

The New Jersey Devils started their season with five straight home games.

As mentioned before, nobody should be satisfied with a 3-2-0 homestand but sometimes circumstances make that the case. The first of two losses came against the Washington Capitals who are one of the league’s best teams. The second came to the Calgary Flames who are as hot as any team in the league right now with their fourth straight win.

There should be no excuses and there won’t be but they have been playing very injured too. IF they can get healthy and a full 60-minute effort, they are going to be a hard team to beat this season. Lots of more talented/developed teams will beat the Devils but they won’t have fun doing it.

Now that the homestand is over, they will head to Pennsylvania to play the Pittsburgh Penguins for the first time this season. That game will come on Saturday night which means they have three full days off. Hopefully, that is enough rest to get their road portion of the schedule going on a high note.