The New Jersey Devils are 4-1-0 to start the season, with wins against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, and Edmonton Oilers under their belts. They have beaten the two teams in the Stanley Cup Final last season, and two players who are at the very least playoff contenders. This is about as good a start as anyone could expect, especially since the rest of the October schedule isn’t getting any easier.
The Oilers win was special. After losing the first game of the season to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Devils have looked dominant at times in their past four games. That’s why they are now on their first four-game win streak in three seasons. The last time the Devils finished a four-game win streak was during the incredibly fun 2022-23 season.
They actually won five games in a row from January 7th to January 16th, beating the Rangers, Hurricanes, Ducks, Kings, and Sharks. It led to an insane January where the Devils went 9-2-2 and set the standard for the rest of the year. Interestingly enough, the Devils won 13 games in a row earlier that season.
The Devils have played 201 games since then entering the 2025-26 season. That is 201 games without a four-game win streak. Last season, the Devils won three games in a row six times. They could not get that fourth win in a row.
This season, that narrative is over quite quickly. Devils’ defenseman Brett Pesce was asked about it being 31 months since the Devils last won four in a row. He wasn’t here in 2023 when the team started the streak (he was actually on the other side for one of the wins), but he said it’s something that proves this club’s maturity.
"That's a crazy stat. Probably should have figured that out last year... No matter what happens, we're not going to get rattled. "Brett Pesce, Devils defenseman
This team feels different from last year's team. The additions this offseason (Connor Brown, Luke Glendening, Arseny Gritsyuk, Evgenii Dadonov) are better complements to the roster. Sheldon Keefe is obviously more comfortable this season with a new club.
To make it five in a row, Coach Keefe has to do something he hasn't done in his career; beat his former team the Toronto Maple Leafs. This would be a great way to cement the Devils' status as true contenders this season.