After winning three in a row, the New Jersey Devils lost again, this time dropping a heartbreaking 2-1 decision to the Metropolitan Division rival Washington Capitals. But that's okay.
At this point, the Devils are assuredly missing the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, and that is mostly due to them forgetting how to play hockey for the entire winter. Overall, though, after the loss to the Capitals, the Devils have still won seven of their last 10 games. They've scored five or more goals in four of those seven wins.
The focus, as rotten as this season has been, needs to be on carrying this momentum into the 2026-27 season. Objectively, there is no good reason to dwell on any losses from here on out, and everyone making it through the last 13 games of the season is of the utmost importance.
Honestly, the vibes around the Devils are not that bad. At least, not that bad depending on who you ask. Jack Hughes looks like a new man since returning from his heroic campaign at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and is riding a five-game point streak, highlighted by back-to-back three-point efforts against the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers, respectively.
Linemate Connor Brown is appearing to be a solid fit in the top-six and on the top power play unit, which at least presents as a potential solution to the revolving door at the winger position.
For the next month, the Devils are basically playing with house money. Anything good that they do on the ice can be taken to the bank for next season. Anything bad they do on the ice is borderline inconsequential and can easily be pinned on the laundry list of things that went wrong this year.
Ideally, the Devils win more games than they lose without compromising their draft position too much, and everyone goes home happy. At this point in the season, the Devils have no reason to stress about the remaining games, and neither do you.