Jake Allen Pushing New Jersey Devils Into Playoff Contention Little By Little

When Jake Allen was traded to the New Jersey Devils from the Montreal Canadiens, his numbers were bad; there is no way around it. The fanbase was not too fond of the move, as there were other younger goaltenders with better numbers whose names were connected to New Jersey. Yet the Devils picked up the 33-year-old veteran who nursed a 6-12-3 record through 21 games with a GAA of 3.65 and an SV% of .892% with Montreal. 

After seeing the trade and analyzing numbers, the move left all to think he was just a lower level pickup with no upside. However, through four games with the Devils, the Fredericton, New Brunswick native has a 3-1 record while hacking down some solid teams in the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets. 

Through those four games with New Jersey, Allen has a 1.76 GAA and a .946 SV% with his new club and has reincarnated some life into what seemed to be a dead season a few weeks ago as the Devils currently sit six points out of the final wildcard spot with 12 games to go. 

The Devils had solid goaltending last season in Vitek Vanecek and it resulted in a playoff berth for the first time since 2018. But since his play spiraled downward, Vanecek was shipped to San Jose in exchange for Kaapo Kahkonen, a different Devils goaltender who has not been a significant help since his arrival. Kahkonen is 0-2 with a .875 SV% and a 3.81 GAA. Point being, you need solid goaltending to win and although Kahkonen hasn’t done that, Allen has provided a paramount example of that. 

Allen has done his part in net thus far, leaving some wiggle room for the offense to shred, which they have done. In the four games where Allen has been between the pipes, the Devils have scored 16 total goals. A complete swing of play compared to the offense that we saw before Allen arrived in the Garden State. 

With 12 games to go, the Devils need to continue to win as every game is crucial in the push for the playoffs. We can’t guarantee if Allen can continue this level of domination, however, we can appreciate all he has done for the club so far.