The New Jersey Devils are basically out of the playoff race because of how they treated the season prior to the Olympic break. From January 1st until half the league went to Milan, Italy to watch Jack Hughes score the Golden Goal, the Devils went 8-10-0. They watched as everyone around them added points at an extreme rate. Not only were the Devils bad, but they weren’t even good enough to get games to overtime.
The biggest issue was offensive depth. With Jack Hughes clearly still hampered by his hand injury that he suffered in November, the Devils couldn’t produce enough offense elsewhere. In the 17 games from January 1 to the Olympic break, only nine Devils scored a goal at 5v5. Seven players had zero points in that time (although, some had very little playing time).
When we look at the 16 games since the Olympic break, it’s a completely different situation. Twenty skaters have taken the ice since the team returned, and every single one of them has a point at even strength. Evgenii Dadonov? He has a point. Nick Bjugstad? He has a point. Brett Pesce got hurt four games after the break, but he has a point.
Every skater has a point since the break, showing that it’s a combined effort.
Of course, Jack Hughes has been playing like a Super Saiyan since he scored that lovely goal to give Americans their first gold medal since 1980. But it’s more than his line. Nico Hischier has 16 total points since the break. Timo Meier has 10.
The defensemen are also joining the party. Luke Hughes, who was coming off a shoulder injury, has eight points since his return. Dougie Hamilton has recorded 12 points since the break, including the game-tying goal in the third period on Sunday versus the Blackhawks. .Â
What has changed since the Devils returned? Did they really just need a break after a grueling schedule? Honestly, and this is going to hurt, but that’s the most logical excuse. The Devils played most game before the break like they were skating in sand. With so many injuries and a schedule with barely any breaks because of said Olympics, the team was likely exhausted most nights.Â
Now, they had a rest, and they are playing like they should have all season. Now, everyone is contributing on offense, and the games are fun to watch again.