- The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (22-21-2) @ Minnesota Wild (26-11-9)
- The Time: 8:00 pm EST
- The Broadcast: MSGSN, Devils Hockey Radio
Last Devils Game
On Sunday afternoon in Winnipeg, the Devils lost (surprise, surprise) to the Jets, 4-3. The loss was the 4th in row for the Devils and their 8th in their last 10 games. They are also 0-3 on their current road trip, but I digress.
Late in the 1st period, the Jets and Devils exchanged goals less than a minute apart; Alex Iafallo for Winnipeg and The Captain (sorry Bryce) for the Devils. Cody Glass scored early in the 2nd period to give the Devils a 2-1 lead. However, the lead was brief as Jonathan “I’m the oldest player out here but I still give more effort than the entire Devils roster” Toews tied it up at 2-2 less than 2 minutes later. The Devils (Glass again) and Jets exchanged goals again to head to the 3rd period tied at 3-3. Tanner Pearson scored the lone goal of the 3rd period and the Jets went on to win 4-3.
In a surprising move, Jake Allen got the start on Sunday, playing 2 games in a row! I know, I can’t believe it either. Prior to Sunday, Allen and Markstrom had alternated starts for the last 13 games.
It’s really kind of pointless to pick on individual players from the game on Sunday. Did certain players look better than others? Sure. Did certain players look like they wanted to win more than others? Sure. During any of the 4 games in a row that they have now lost, can you throw the names into a blender to determine who can be blamed or who could be praised? Most likely.
Last Wild Game
On Saturday, the Wild lost to the Islanders 4-3 in OT. Ben Jones and Matt Boldy scored for Minnesota in the 1st period to end the period up 2-1. The Islanders scored 2 times to 1 for Minnesota in the 2nd period and both teams went scoreless in the 3rd to send the game to OT. Simon Holmstrom scored his second of the game for New York to win the game for the Islanders. Quinn “the best of the 3” Hughes had 3 assists, which gives him 9 points in his last 5 games.
Filip Gustavsson started against the Islanders on Saturday, so I would expect Jesper Wallstedt to get the start tonight. The 2 goalies have alternated the net for the last 13 games so I would expect that trend to continue tonight, barring any news today to the contrary.
Injuries, Roster for Tonight, Yada, Yada, Yada.
At this point in the season, the Devils have a fully healthy squad. Jack is back from his yearly mid season injury. Johnathan “Kovy 2.0” Kovacevic is back on the ice. Evgenii “Remember Me Guys?” Dadonov is back. Yet, the outcome is still the same. In case you live under a rock, Dougie Hamilton did not play yesterday. Based on the news from this past weekend, I am assuming Hamilton might have played his last game in a Devils jersey.
Jake Allen started the last 2 games in a row for the Devils which is rare for him when Markstrom is healthy. The Devils are playing back to back games, so I would assume Jacob Markstrom starts in net tonight. He HAS been better lately, but he’s still the weaker of the 2 goalies, so tonight should be fun. If masochism is your thing.
Grimace’s Prediction and 2025-2026 Record Tracker
I’ve decided to put a pause on the predictions for a while. Grimace and I sat down and had a long talk, and he needs a break. He agreed to predict the games when he thought it was for actual NHL players on an NHL team giving an NHL level effort. He didn’t sign up for whatever this product on the ice is. He might come back. Eventually.
Grimace’s 2025-2026 Season Prediction record currently stands at 12-10-0.
Your Take
To be frank, I’ve run out of words (and the mental energy) to try and attempt to figure out what’s wrong with this team and franchise anymore. Considering the fact that the people who are the experts, that do this full time and get paid a lot of money to get this team to win can’t figure out how to fix it, what hope do I have? I’m just exhausted (as we all are) of the losing and problems and issues. I don’t need a Stanley Cup every year. But is it too much to ask to be competitive? Apparently for the time being, the answer is yes.
The team, as of today, is no more competitive than they were on the days they drafted Nico or Jack at #1. Is their roster better, than it was back then? On paper, yes. Are the results any better? I’d say they are actually worse. Those teams were expected to lose. This team was expected to win. Shame on me.
At what point are we going to see a change? Hamilton is probably done as a Devil. Cotter sat a few games. Great. Sheldon and Tommy Fitz, pat yourselves on the back! You’ve cracked the case! The Devils now have 6 wins in their last 21 games. Six. In Twenty One. The Devils are 1 point out of last place in the East. The Devils are 30th in the league with a goal differential of -23. At some point, someone needs to take the blame here. Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below and thanks for reading!
In a shameless bit of non hockey related self promotion (approved by Chris – thanks Chris), I wanted to plug my brand new podcast on here, if any of you are interested in listening. We have a light hearted, fun discussion about any movies, music or video games mostly from the 1980s and 1990s. Please feel free to listen to us on any of the formats below and any feedback is welcome (positive and negative). Also, please follow us and subscribe, even if you think we stink. 🙂