Between the Pipes: How Jacob Markstrom is Transforming the New Jersey Devils

Jacob Markstrom's performance as of late has been tremendous. Over the past 10 games, the netminder has posted an impressive 8-1-1 record along with a .913 save percentage. On top of that, he has given up two goals or less in his last six starts and eight of his last 10. With the win Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues, Markstrom is now tied for the second most wins by a goaltender in the NHL this season. Simply put, he has rock solid between the pipes.

When general manager Tom Fitzgerald acquired the 34-year-old goalie from the Calgary Flames six months ago, the belief was that Markstrom was the missing piece to the Devils taking that next step in contention. Fast forward to now and while Fitzgerald has made it public that he wants his number one backstopper to be even better, Markstrom has been pretty close to as advertised in New Jersey. He has been playing an aggressive but calm style between the pipes. He's active with the puck when he gets his chance, which has led to some near disasters but nothing damaging to the on-ice play of the team. The most important aspect of Markstrom's game is his ability to come up with big, timely saves like the one he made vs. the Blues last night.

In this sequence, Markstrom calmly makes not one, but two different saves to deny St. Louis from cutting the deficit to one. The first he made with his stick and the second with his right leg pad on the two-on-one. Those denials kept the momentum on the Devils' side and they never looked back. While he will give up an occasional bad goal, he redeems himself quite often with plays like the one above. He gives the Devils a chance to win whenever he is between the pipes.

The defensive play for New Jersey has been outstanding. They've limited their opponents to 20 or fewer shots in five of their last six games and each of their past four contests. The structure that Sheldon Keefe has implemented with his defensemen has worked to perfection. Even so, Markstrom has done his part when he's had to make saves. He finished the win last night stopping 19 of 20 shots he faced while posting a 0.73 goals above expected.

Overall, Markstrom's play has been what the Devils' have been looking for and have needed for years. The confidence he gives the rest of the team is noticeable and makes New Jersey that much of a tougher team to play against. What makes them more dangerous is that Markstrom still has another level to get to. If he reaches that level, you can expect the Devils to be competing deep into the spring and summer months.