New Jersey Devils win against New York Islanders show how different this team really is

The New Jersey Devils are facing a very important weekend in their November schedule. They went into their Saturday night tilt with the New York Islanders riding a two-game winning streak, and they were looking to win three games in a row for the first time in the 2024 calendar year. The schedule this month is tough, with games ahead including matchups with the Lightning, Panthers (x2), Hurricanes, and Capitals (x2). The Devils need to win the "easier" games.

The New York Islanders also came into Saturday's game with a hot streak. After a rough stretch to start the year, the Isles won two in a row themselves. It looked like they were going to win three in a row after they scored two goals less than two minutes apart from each other in the third period against the Devils. Both goals involved breakdowns in coverage for New Jersey, and Jacob Markstrom wasn't able to keep the puck from the back of the net.

It was 3-1 with just about five minutes left in the game. The Devils were on their heels after putting a decent effort on Ilya Sorokin but failed to get more than one goal past him.

Then, Dawson Mercer played hero. While this wasn't the goal that tied the game, this was the goal that gave the Devils hope. Mercer took a feed from behind the net from Paul Cotter, and he was able to get it under the crossbar behind Sorokin. That gave this team hope. You could see it in their eyes. They saw an opening.

Last year, that look would never come. Last year's Devils team just seemed to look ahead to the next game when things went wrong. Turn the page and move on. However, often, the game was still happening. Of course, many will point to the Devils comeback stats as a reason why that team "never gave up," but they almost broke the record for most games giving up the first goal. Obviously there will be a lot of comebacks.

Anyway, the deal wasn't done. The Devils were still losing with a tall task ahead of them. Sorokin was still on his game, and they were down one. They got a little luck on the next one. Stefan Noesen was down low with the Devils goalie pulled, and he just threw the puck across the front of the net. He got a little help from the enemy.

That goal tied the game with less than a minute, and the Devils secured a point. The Devils did something similar against the Islanders a few weeks ago, which again proves the point. These Devils don't quit. However, this time, the Devils made sure it counted for two points.

Jack Hughes scored an overtime goal, his second goal of the night. It seems like Hughes is back to that superstar player carrying the team. He looked incredible in this game, and was on the ice for three goals. There's no way one can say Hughes wasn't the top player in this game, and this came after he was voted "first star" in their last game against the Montreal Canadiens.

If Hughes is hitting his stride, and this Devils team keeps their current mentality, they will be right in the playoff race from now until the end of the season. With the Capitals, Rangers, and Hurricanes surging to start the season, the Devils need every single point they can get to keep their current playoff spot through Thanksgiving, which is considered a benchmark for prospective playoff teams.