The New Jersey Devils remain near the top of the Eastern Conference despite back-to-back regulation losses. However, they've run into a concerning issue in their pursuit of the Stanley Cup.
Monday's 5-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets was preceded by another 5-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Of course, both of these teams are in the Metropolitan Division with New Jersey, and with both games being decided in regulation, Columbus and Philadelphia would each gain two points on the Devils in the division race.
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These two losses have created a problem that is perhaps masked by the 16 wins and 33 points. As of December 2, the Devils have a middling 3-4-1 record against opponents in the Metro; it's the only division New Jersey doesn't have a winning record against, as they're an impressive 6-2-0 against Atlantic Division opponents and 7-3-0 against Western Conference teams.
Of New Jersey's three wins against division rivals, only one came in regulation, which was their 3-2 triumph in Columbus back on October 13. Their other two (November 8 vs Pittsburgh and November 15 at Washington) came in shootouts; on the other hand, only their 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders on November 10 went past 60 minutes and yielded a point.
The Devils can win the Metro, but need to play better against Metro teams
Is it time for the Devils to panic? No. In spite of the division record (which isn't awful, just mediocre), they're firmly in position among the NHL's elite. Considering how many injuries New Jersey has to overcome (most notably to Jack Hughes), the fact that the team is still in this position is a significant credit to them.
However, the biggest reason why they need to solve their rivals is because the Metropolitan Division is extremely tight. All eight teams have point percentages above .500; the New York Rangers, who are in last place, still have a .518 point percentage and 28 points, only five behind New Jersey. The Washington Capitals have 32 points, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Flyers each have 31, and the Islanders and Blue Jackets each have 29. On the flip side, though, the Devils are just one point behind the Carolina Hurricanes for first place.
With this many teams in striking distance, there isn't much room for error in any game the Devils play, especially against their rivals. Dropping a game to any of these seven teams results in a bigger swing in the standings, and if the Devils lose too many of these games, they can go from first or second to seventh or eighth in the blink of an eye.
To further emphasize the importance of these games, winning the division is extremely rewarding under the current playoff format. Home-ice advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs is guaranteed for the division champion, assuming they don't lose in the first round; the Devils have a fantastic home record so far, and assuming they make the playoffs, they'd want to play as many games at the Rock as possible, and conversely, to avoid playing three or four games at Lenovo Center.
Ultimately, the Devils have never won the Metropolitan Division, with their last division championship of any kind coming back in 2009-10 when they were still in the Atlantic. Because the standings are so close, there is a legitimate shot for them to break that drought, but with 18 more games to play against their rivals, it's imperative for New Jersey to directly gain the upper hand instead of getting help from other teams.
New Jersey's next division game comes on December 23, when they visit the Islanders.