The New Jersey Devils are off to a red-hot start, holding a 7-3 record before Thursday night’s matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. Likewise, the Oilers are off to a 7-3 start and pose a big test for a Devils team who has won four in a row and seven of its last eight games. This Oilers team possesses the league’s top two scorers, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the only players over the 20-point threshold so far. This matchup will be a testament to how good the Devils’ defense is.
John Marino, the Devils’ most consistent defenseman to this point, will likely draw the McDavid assignment, just as he stared down the Nathan MacKinnon assignment last week. We will know plenty about the quality of this Devils team following Thursday night’s game against one of the perennial offenses in the National Hockey League.
Here is what we do know through 10 games. The Devils are finally gaining the respect they deserve. The team jumped to the #3 spot in the recent Bleacher Report power rankings, the #7 spot in the Sportsnet rankings, sixth in the NHL’s Super 16, and they took the number-one spot in Daily Faceoff’s power rankings.
SOTFA EP185: The Devils Are...Good? | Guests: @scotmaxw & @AlexC_THW @pitchforkedpuck @PrimetimeSamWoo @nick_villano #NJDevils #NHL #AHL https://t.co/14BGJ5Z8eY
— Let's Go Devils Podcast (@LetsGoDevilsPOD) November 3, 2022
It’s safe to say the New Jersey Devils have put the league on notice through 10 games. In this recent stretch, we have seen the Devils pick apart the Detroit Red Wings 6-2, shutout the defending champs Colorado Avalanche 1-0, demoralize the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-1, and take care of the Vancouver Canucks 5-2. The Devils have found ways to win different hockey games, which is encouraging. To be able to win the blowout game and the 1-0 game against one of the league’s finest teams speaks volumes about how well this Devils team has played early on. This may be a sign of growth for a franchise that sorely needs it.
The Devils have played well on both sides of the puck. The numbers jump off the page. The team has allowed only 25 goals this season, third in the NHL. Meanwhile, they scored 36 goals, suitable for seventh in the league, and are outshooting opponents 391-218!
The Devils’ special teams have also kicked it into another gear. The team is converting on the power play at a 22.2% clip and on the penalty kill with an 88.2% rate. These statistics all contribute to the early season success of the New Jersey Devils and some outstanding individual performances.
Jesper Bratt is off to an incredible start with 16 points in 10 games, Nico Hischier has 10 points, and Jack Hughes has 10 points as well, which could turn into so many more points if he capitalizes on the plethora of chances that he creates every night. Look for Hughes to kick it into another gear soon.
The team’s defense has been rock solid in front of their goaltenders. Defenseman John Marino has had such an incredible start to his Devils career paired with Ryan Graves, who has also played well. The pairing of Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler put forth a solid effort on both ends every night. Not to mention Damon Severson has become a third-pair defenseman for the Devils, a luxury not many teams enjoy. The team is firing on all cylinders, and even the goaltenders have done their jobs, making the big save when needed, something the Devils haven’t received in recent years.
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The 2022-2023 New Jersey Devils have the potential to make some noise this year if they continue to play the game at the rate they currently are. With a tough three-game stretch ahead, including matches against the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames in Western Canada, we will continue to find out what this Devils team is capable of moving forward. We can now enjoy our New Jersey Devils sitting atop the Metropolitan Division standings; we all deserve it.