Will Preseason Success Carry Into Regular Season for New Jersey Devils?

The New Jersey Devils went 6-0-0 in the preseason. Does this show they are a good team or will they be cursed in the regular season now?

The Devils started their preseason with split squad games in Montreal and New Jersey against the Flyers. Both squads walked away with a very strong showing and a win. In the game against the Flyers, there was firepower coming from all over the place, finding the back of the net six different times. The defense and goaltenders both had a strong game posting the shutout.

The Devils who were in Montreal also had a strong game while walking away with a win. The offense was moving as they netted four goals. Defense and the goaltenders had a bit of a rocky start, letting a goal in during the opening minutes of the game, but quickly found their way and only allowed two total goals.

The next three games were thrillers as each game was only a one-goal difference. When the Devils played the Rangers for the first time, they ended up winning the game 3-2. The next game was against the Flyers, the only game to go into overtime, which let Erik Haula score the overtime winner. Then they played the Islanders, another close game with a score of 6-5. This game was a bit different because defense and goaltending were not at their best, but the Devils were able to balance it out with their goal scoring ability.

In the final two games of the preseason, the Devils outmatched their opponents. They beat the Rangers 5-2 and the Islanders 3-0. During the Rangers game, each team put out two or more of their everyday NHL lines, making this a more realistic game. Having this type of showing with most of our opening night roster is exciting for all Devils fans. In the Islanders game, most of the veterans sat out, letting prospects play. This was a game where we did not know what was going to happen, but the prospects were able to pull off the win and the Devils ended their preseason undefeated.

Preseason Grew Excitement for Devils Success

The first noticeable fact from the preseason is the line of Bratt-Hughes-Toffoli could be one of the best in the league. After only a few games and practices, the chemistry this line has is insane. They are all able to make plays on and off the puck, find the back of the net and have a creativeness many players do not seem to have. Having this line as our 1A or 1B line should be a very exciting idea.

An exciting change for the Devils is how well the powerplay has been over the preseason. During the six games, the Devils ended up scoring on 38% of their power plays, a much needed improvement. Championship teams need to have good special teams, if the Devils can continue the success on the power play, there should not be much holding them back from being a cup contender.

The two power play units the coaches have come up with both are deadly. One group consists of Meier, Hischier, Mercer, Holtz and Hamilton while the other group involves Toffoli, Jack Hughes, Bratt, Palat and Luke Hughes.

Another thing many Devils fans have noticed is the Devils top nine might be the best in the league. While things can be switched around, the top nine should be looking like Meier-Hischier-Holtz, Toffoli-Hughes-Bratt and Palat-Haula-Mercer. Since management is still seeing how Holtz adjusts and if he can stay on the roster, his best opportunity is playing with Hischier and Meier at the moment. If Holtz does not do well with that line, Mercer can easily be moved up to the top line.

Head coach Lindy Ruff signed a new multi-year contract just at the end of the preseason. Ruff is one of the most successful coaches in the NHL and our young stars have seemed to flourish under his coaching. Superstar Hughes has only positive things to say about Ruff, saying he lets him do his own thing while playing but is also super hard on him and pushes him to be better.

Coach is here to stay!

We have re-signed Head Coach Lindy Ruff to a multi-year extension.

📰: https://t.co/fxgkJCfSVW pic.twitter.com/iT8Kg58c95

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 11, 2023

As opening day is Thursday, many strengths of the Devils have been noticed around the league. But there is still a question mark surrounding them, more specifically in net. While the tandem of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid proved to be successful in the regular season, things got shaky during the playoffs. This could have been because Vanecek got overworked during the regular season and was burnt out by the time the playoffs came around. Being more comfortable with Schmid this season means he can take some of the load off Vanecek and they can split the games more evenly.

Will the success the Devils had in the preseason wear off? Was it just luck? There are many things to be excited about during this upcoming season and it all begins Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the Prudential Center against the Detroit Red Wings.