It was a historic 2023 for the New Jersey Devils. They won their first playoff series in over a decade, finished with a franchise record in points, and set an NHL record for largest season-to-season point improvement. A lot went right in the Garden State of Hockey in 2023.
As the food and champagne flowed, fireworks set off, and horns blared, the Devils welcomed 2024 in a different position than last year, but with similar aspirations. A year ago the “overachieving” Devils were well within a playoff spot. This season has seen much more adversity. Heavy is the head that wears the crown for the Devils this year, and while they may not have a crown on, they certainly have had a bullseye on their backs.
The Devils are on the outside looking in on a Wild Card spot, but only by a few points and with more than half a season still to play. They’ve dealt with slow starts, injuries to key players, and wild inconsistencies. The Devils will hopefully take a “New Year, New Me” approach as the calendar turns and crunch time approaches. While many of our New Year’s resolutions consist of going to the gym, eating healthier, or reading a book, the Devil’s resolutions for 2024 may be just a bit different.
New Year’s Resolutions For The New Jersey Devils
Make the “Pru” a Fortress Again
For whatever reason the Devils have found life difficult when playing at home this season. Last season they ended with a respectable 24-13-4 home record, which included eight straight losses on home ice. The bad vibes in Newark returned this year, where the Devils sit below NHL .500, with an 8-8-2 record. Something has to give on home ice and they’ll need it to if there’s any hope of making the playoffs. The Devils have 23 remaining home games to close out the season. Over their last 23 home games in the 2022-23 season, they went 14-6-3. Similar results., or even a slight improvement would have the Devils well on track to make the playoffs again.
Back to Winning Back-to-Backs
The schedule makers were not too kind to the Devils when they gave them a league-high 16 back-to-backs. The hockey gods have been even less kind through the first eight sets of back-to-backs this season. The front half has gone swimmingly. They are 7-1-0 on the front half of back-to-backs so far. However, on the back half, they are an abysmal 1-6-1. They have left a lot of points on the table in the second half of the back-to-backs. They’ve either come out of the gates lazy and sloppy, showing no real fight, or they bring it for a period before falling off and lack the energy to play catch up. The Devils have been outscored 36-23 in the second game, with most of the goals propped up from their lone victory, a 7-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres. With eight more sets of back-to-backs, they need to do a full 180 if they want any shot at making the playoffs.
Find a Goalie
Plain and simple. The Devil’s goaltending has been borderline horrific and at the basement of the league. Devils fans remember how bad it was in 2021-22 with the likes of Jon Gillies and Andrew Hammond in the net, and so far it has been just as bad. After above-league-average goaltending last year, Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek have almost single (or double) handedly sunk the Devils season. GM Tom Fitzgerald needs to exhaust all options to bring and bring in a new goalie. The recent call-up of Nico Daws has been a bandaid on a bullet hole and it’s difficult to rely on a young goalie to save their season. An in-season blockbuster trade is unlikely, but scouring the league for competent backups shouldn’t cost much.
Make the Playoffs By Any Means Necessary
It seems like a dramatic statement but it’s true. After the success in 2022-23, and the hype entering this season, the Devils need to be playing hockey in the spring. This roster is too talented to not get a crack at a playoff run. This team is eerily similar to the Florida Panthers team that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals last year. Both teams entered the year with high hopes, only to underachieve, while dealing with subpar goaltending all regular season. As that Panthers team showed, all you have to do is make it to the dance. Chances are the Devils will be scratching and clawing their way to a playoff spot this year. However, as long as they make it they have all the high-end talent in the world to compete with every other team.
Main Photo: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
