New Jersey Devils Fans Deserve This 10-Win Streak

What a wild ride it’s been, New Jersey Devils fans. 10 games in a row; what a run! The Devils extended their unbeaten streak following a 5-1 thumping of the Montreal Canadiens Tuesday night. This game, the first of three north of the border, showcased absolutely everything that is going right for the Devils.

Vitek Vanecek was nails, stopping 25 out of 26 shots, including 15 in the first period. It wasn’t necessarily easy for him. Some of those were highlight reel saves. Dougie Hamilton added two more points, netting his fifth goal of the year. Hamilton looks every bit of the guy the Devils paid big money for two summers ago. Jack Hughes added three points, two goals and an assist, a potential breakthrough for the 21-year-old superstar. Jesper Bratt added two more points, and John Marino had arguably his best defensive game as a New Jersey Devil.

Everything is clicking for this team right now as they sit atop the Metropolitan Division standings, four points ahead of the New York Islanders. This Devils team has gone from a potential Wild Card team to an Eastern Conference Finals contender in just three weeks. It would be really hard to formulate an argument against this team being a real contender in the Eastern Conference this season.

The Devils are firing on all cylinders, rolling four lines and three D pairings, getting strong goaltending, and scoring at an exceptionally high level at 5-on-5. Although the special teams can still use some work (yes power play, I’m talking about you), the Devils are finding different ways to win games night in and night out.

Up and down the lineup, everybody is contributing on the score sheet, as well as the little areas that are helping this team win hockey games. The energy is back at The Rock as well, as the Devils sold out the Prudential Center on Saturday night, and with some Canadian superstars visiting the Prudential Center next week, expect a couple more sell outs.

The enthusiasm around this team is at a level we have not seen in a decade. The most apparent thing about this Devils team is that they are having fun playing for one another and the coaching staff. The guys are making plays for one another, winning 50/50 pucks, blocking shots, taking the hit to make a play, and the goalies are coming up with the big save when its needed most. It’s really been a treat to watch this team play so far this year.

The Devils next four games come against Canadian foes in the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators north of the border, before heading back to the Rock to face the Oilers and Maple Leafs again. The Devils hold a 6-0-0 record against Canadian teams this season. Let’s see if they can keep that going as the competition stiffens in the upcoming stretch of games. However long this win streak may last, enjoy this ride Devils fans.

Those fans deserve this. This taste of winning is something we deserve for the dark years we have endured, watching players like Kenny Agostino, Bobby Farnham, and Ben Lovejoy lace the skates for our Devils, amongst other very, very random players. Keep packing the Rock for our guys, they deserve it too. And for Mr. Ruff, we are truly sorry for the boos, I hope we can all have a beer together at the parade this summer.