The Devils have yet to score a power-play goal this season; they aren't the only team that has failed to do so, as they are grouped with the Canucks, Capitals, Sabres, and Maple Leafs. New Jersey has had six power play opportunities, and none of them have shown any dominance with the man advantage on ice.
The Devils have the lowest xGoals% during the power play at 27.78%, while the second-lowest team is the Canucks with a xGoals% of 48%. Not only that, but New Jersey has only eight shots on goal in six power play opportunities, way too low a number with the talented players on ice. Six of those eight shots came against the Tampa Bay Lightning, while the other two came against the Carolina Hurricanes, a team that is the best of the best at killing a power play. Those are pretty underwhelming numbers, something that the Devils have to change now before it becomes an all-season occurrence.
It is very early, but changing up the power play units could change how the Devils have looked early on. Luke Hughes is the sole defenseman in the first power play unit, moving Dougie Hamilton over to the second power play unit. I think swapping the two will go a long way for New Jersey and create more shot-on-goal chances. Dougie's veteran presence as the "quarterback" of the unit, but it's hard to make the change with how great Luke Hughes has looked in 5v5 play. The chaos created by taking him off the first unit would be at an all-time high, but it's needed.
The Devils were one of the best power-play teams as they had the third-best power-play percentage with 28.2% and 61 power-play goals. In the 2024-25 season, Dougie Hamilton was involved in 15 of the 61 points, assisting 10 goals and scoring 5 goals in just 64 games played. A defenseman who knows how to be in charge of a power play, take shots from the blue line, and make smart passes will create more scoring chances for the players around him, such as Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer.
New Jersey have a tough couple of games coming up as they face the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road and then hosting the two teams that have faced off in the Stanley Cup final the last two years, the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers. This will be a nice early season test for the Devils to get the power-play dominance back.