The New Jersey Devils have a Jacob Markstrom problem. Despite the team's 13-5-1 record, a handful of those wins have come without much help from Jacob Markstrom. The soon-to-be 36-year-old netminder has been in a slump since coming back from a lower-body injury he sustained in mid-October. In the six-game span after returning, Markstrom has posted a 3-2-1 record with a rough .871 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.81 goals against average (GAA). Simply put, he's nowhere near the level that he, the team, or the fans expect him to be at.
What has frustrated the fanbase more is that this is all happening after the Gävle, Sweden native signed a two-year contract extension almost three weeks ago, with a cap hit of $6 million in each of those seasons. It goes without saying that there is concern for whether or not their veteran goalie is now on the decline.
This is true of any athlete, as Father Time is undefeated. However, with the Devils looking to make a run to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup in 23 years, the organization as a whole would like Father Time to wait just a little while longer.
Another factor that is not putting Markstrom in good graces with the fans is Jake Allen's strong play. The Devils' backup netminder has been one of the team's major catalysts so far, posting a 7-2-0 record in 10 games. In addition to that, he's posted a .916 SV% and a solid 2.24 GAA. Allen has proven that he can be relied upon, despite also being in his mid-30s. It makes the most sense for now that the Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada-born goalie be the team's go-to guy between the pipes.
The biggest question that is on everyone's mind is, can Markstrom bounce back from this poor play? Well, there are two ways to answer this. The first is no because, as mentioned before, goalies in their mid-to-late 30s are more likely to struggle to play at a high level they once were at. On the other hand, you can say yes that Markstrom can bounce back. The reason is what he has done before. For most of his 15-year career, Markstrom has been a streaky goaltender. When he is off, this is what we get from him. However, when he's on, he's playing like a top-five goalie in the league.
Jacob Markstrom had 3 save of the year candidates in one game 😱🤯@BillSpaulding | @KenDaneykoMSG | #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/iHdrQjOnmX
— Devils on MSG (@DevilsMSGN) January 7, 2025
While I believe it is very unlikely that Markstrom will continue to play at a .871 SV% level, he has to find a way to get better and sooner rather than later. With the stretch of 10 games in 18 days, the Devils will need both Allen and, more importantly, Markstrom to be at their best.
This is especially given the Devils' depleted roster that includes Brett Pesce, Johnathan Kovacevic, Cody Glass, and, of course, Jack Hughes, all out long-term. If this team wants to continue its winning ways and truly compete for Lord Stanley's Cup, Jacob Markstrom will need to eliminate the worries the team and fans have and get back to the top form we've seen him in before.