3 Reasons To Watch New Jersey Devils Hockey Rest Of Season
As the NHL season readies to resume following the All-Star break, most NHL fans start gearing up for their team to make a playoff push. For New Jersey Devils fans, it signals the end of the season and the beginning of the NHL Draft lottery simulator.
Winners of just eight of their last 33 games, the Devils season is over. Not only do they sit 20 points behind the Boston Bruins for the second Wild Card spot, but they are also behind the Philadelphia Flyers, a team that has had two separate 10-game losing streaks. As tough as it has been to watch the Devils this season, there still are a few reasons to continue watching Devils games: Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt continuing their breakout seasons, the rise of Alexander Holtz, and the trade deadline.
The Jack and Jesper Show
In a season that has had more downs than ups, three things have remained consistent: the stellar seasons by Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt and terrible goaltending. Hughes and Bratt have been the lone bright spots in the Garden State and boy have they shined. Both are producing just under a point per game and have a chance to be the second and third Devils to accomplish that feat in the last decade.
There is a reason most hockey analysts had Hughes as their breakout pick this year, and he has not disappointed. Hughes has 27 points in 28 games, which was good enough to earn him his first All-Star nod and make him the youngest player to earn the honor since 2011. Hughes’ 12 goals are already a career-high, and he is only six assists away from breaking his previous high of 20 assists last season. Over the last two seasons, it has been challenging to watch the Devils, but seeing Hughes develop has eased the pain.
When it comes to Bratt, the former 6th rounder and All-Star snub is enjoying a breakout season that not many could have foreseen. Bratt leads the Devils in every relevant offensive stat, goals, assists, points, plus/minus, you name it. The skating and playmaking ability has always been there, but the goalscoring is a new wrinkle he has added into his game. One of Jesper’s biggest critiques has been his unwillingness to shoot the puck. This season, Bratt’s already broken his career-high in shots with 113. Hughes and Bratt have broken all sorts of career highs, and the NHL season is only halfway over, which is great because these two will continue to grow, but it also means a lot more Devils losses.