The New Jersey Devils aren’t the only team that’s been terrible this season. It’s been awful across the Devils organization. Only the Adirondack Thunder have been worth the price of admission this season. Both the Devils and the Utica Comets have been awful and will likely miss the playoffs this season.
Both teams have been pushing for more despite the bad situations they find themselves in the standings. The Devils have been great since returning from the Olympic break. It’s too little too late, and somehow, they are further away from the playoffs than when they restarted their season. It’s unfortunate that Jack Hughes’ recent surge hasn’t helped, but it’s what happens when a team puts themselves in such a hole.
One of the biggest reasons that the Devils are so far down in the standings is because of their record when trailing going into the third period. They are 0-24-2 when losing after 40 minutes. Not only are they losing those games at an incredible clip, but they can’t even get the games to overtime to earn a loser point. That’s specifically why they are so far away from a playoff spot. If they just got like four or five more loser points, an unlikely playoff run would feel more feasible.
Going up to Utica, the Devils AHL affiliate hasn’t faired much better. They came into Wednesday night with a 0-25-3-2 record when trailing after the second period. They did a better job of getting some points despite trailing, but having zero actual wins is awful.
On Wednesday night, while facing the North Division leaders, the Laval Rocket, the Comets had a little magic on their side. Nico Daws was playing the best game, possibly, of his season. He stopped 33 of 34 shots and stopped both shootout attempts against him.
“Nah.” - Nico Daws, maybe. pic.twitter.com/uP5DmgmH9x
— Ben Birnell (@BB_URSentinel) March 26, 2026
With the win, Daws now has 56 in his AHL career. That passes Thatcher Demko as the most in the history of the Utica Comets. The former third-round pick has been really good with the Comets despite the numbers suggest different.
The fact that the Comets got a win after trailing before the Devils is significant. It’s something this Devils team should pay attention to. Is the system across the franchise something that doesn’t allow a response? Is it too easy for teams to play prevent defense against them?
For now, we’ll enjoy the win.