New Jersey Devils: 5 Most Surprising Stats Of 12-Game Winning Streak
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils have been the best team in the NHL of the last month. They haven’t lost a game since Monday, October 24th. If the Devils survive Edmonton on Monday night or Toronto on Wednesday night, then the Devils will go a full month without losing a game. This is one of the greatest stretches to be a Devils fan in team history.
The Devils are winning games in every type of way. They can suffocate teams with defense, as they did against the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators. There are insane offensive performances like the one against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings. We even had a goalie steal a game against the defending Stanley Cup champs.
Overtime winners, come-from-behind victories, goalie injuries, and two Canadian road trips can stop the Devils from losing. And that is where we will start. There are surprising stats in any streak, but the tenacity of this team is its most impressive feat.
Times Devils Went Into Intermission Down: 2
The New Jersey Devils have come-from-behind victories, but they don’t waste time coming back. They usually respond to goals before the period ends. Sometimes, they do it within minutes. The Devils don’t let anything get them down. They are always looking for the next goal. Whether that cuts a deficit, ties the game, or puts them up by five. They go after offense with the same determination.
Only twice in 12 games did the Devils go into the intermission losing the game. The first time was November 3rd against the Oilers. The Devils had a dreadful second period and gave up goals to Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. They eventually went off in the third period. Miles Wood got the Devils within one less than two minutes into the period. Then, with less than four minutes left in the game, Ryan Graves and Jesper Bratt scored within seven seconds of each other to win the game.
On November 8th, Nazem Kadri scored the only goal of the first period. The Devils scored two in the second to take the lead, and they would beat the Flames for the second time in four days. And that’s it. At the end of 39 periods (including three overtime periods), the Devils only finished two with a Lindy Ruff speech about coming back. It’s honestly remarkable.