New Jersey Devils Are Primed to Continue Their Winning Ways in December
Following their historic 13-1 month of November, the New Jersey Devils will look to continue their winning ways in the final month of the 2022 calendar year. With a 19-4 record, the Devils have exceeded all expectations at the 23-game mark, and all signs point to this young Devils squad continuing that moving forward.
Jack Hughes has emerged as a superstar. Hughes scored a hat trick in the Devils 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday and added another goal to his resume in Monday’s 5-3 victory over the New York Rangers, bringing his team leading goal total to 12, as well as his team leading point total to 26. He is only 21 years old.
Nico Hischier has made a case for a Selke Trophy nomination this season. Hischier has 25 points in 22 games and has showed off his tremendous two-way game. He is showing why he is the leader of this team at 23 years old. Jesper Bratt has been nothing short of incredible this season.
Alike Hughes and Hischier, Bratt has more points than games played (26 points in 23 games), and dazzles on a nightly basis with his smooth skating prowess. He has been a joy to watch, he is only 24 years of age. Other youngsters continue to impress as well.
Dawson Mercer, also only 21 years old, has kicked his game into another gear, being relentless on the forecheck and getting his name on the scoresheet. Yegor Sharangovich has been heating up as of late, tallying 5 goals in his last 7 games. Fabian Zetterlund has thrown his name into the hat for some Calder trophy votes. The list goes on and on, all the youngsters are getting it done for this blazing hot New Jersey team.
To go along with the youth movement up front, the Devils deploy some grisly veterans who contribute night in and night out. Tomas Tatar has been marvelous on the top line with Hischier, and Erik Haula continues to be awesome in the faceoff dot. The back end, led by star Dougie Hamilton, has been shut down from top to bottom. I think I speak for all of us when I say it’s refreshing to see this team able to deploy 3 pairs of defensemen for 60 minutes.
Lastly, the goaltending has been absolute nails for the New Jersey Devils. Vitek Vanecek has taken the starting job and ran with it, posting an 11-2 record with a 2.12 Goals-against average, and a .923 save percentage. Vanecek has been simply remarkable and was named the NHL’s 2nd star of the month for November. Akira Schmid has been nearly flawless in his role as the backup since the injury to Mackenzie Blackwood. Schmid has posted a 4-0 record with a 1.24 goals-against average, and a .953 save percentage this season.
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All of these points indicate that the New Jersey Devils have arrived. The Devils have put the league on notice with their historic run to start the season. First in the Metropolitan Division by an 8-point margin on December 1st, tell me you saw that coming. This Devils squad looks like a group primed to become a dynasty. Tampa Bay Lightning style. The core of the team is in their early 20’s, as I highlighted, and is surrounded by savvy veteran players. For them to be getting it done this early in the process has opened some eyes and has surely opened the door for the Devils to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. Look out NHL, the Devils are here, and they’re here to take over.