The New Jersey Devils started 2026 with a big win. After what was ultimately a rough 2025, it was good to start the year with a big win against the Utah Mammoth. It was the midpoint of the season, with the Devils finishing Game 41 with a 22-17-2 record and 46 points in the standings. As of this writing, they find themselves one point behind the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins for the two Wild Card spots.
There were a few heroes in Saturday’s afternoon game. Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Dougie Hamilton all scored. When you think about players who really needed a goal, those are probably the four names at the top of the list. Hamilton scoring is especially huge, as his last goal scored was back in October.
However, the most important performance is the one that came in net. Jacob Markstrom has been playing better for a little over a week, but this one felt like the best version of Jacob Markstrom.
Markstrom stopped at 13 high-danger shots against him. He only allowed a goal in the second half of the third period, with the Devils already up by four goals. It really wasn’t a big deal.
Markstrom made multiple huge saves that kept the Devils well ahead and building confidence. They had two goals in the first and two goals in the second. We’ve seen the Devils turtle when they allow the first goal, so keeping them in front was imperative to continuing our happy New Year.
Jacob Markstrom's bounce back is a big deal for the New Jersey Devils
If this is the Markstrom we’re getting for the rest of the season, the Devils are going to make the playoffs. That’s full stop. Jake Allen has been playing really well as of late, as well, so the Devils have a great pair to keep things afloat.
The Devils give up big chances. It’s just how things have worked lately, especially when they can’t get the puck out of the zone. However, they even looked better at that on Saturday afternoon.
The Devils need, at the very least, good goaltending to succeed. Markstrom has been giving that lately after a terrible start to the season. He’s raised his save percentage to .888. That’s not great, but it’s much better than where he was hovering even two weeks ago.