The Devils Are Off to a Blazing Start

In my first article for this site, I wrote that the New Jersey Devils would need a healthy Jack Hughes if they wanted to have success this season.

So far, so good as both Jack and the Devils are off to a fantastic start this season. As of this writing (Wednesday, October 22), the Devils have won five straight games and are 5-1 to start the season, which puts them tied for first in the Metropolitan Division, tied for first in the Eastern Conference, and tied for third in the NHL.

There are several reasons why the Devils are off to a great start this year. For starters, and as mentioned above, Jack Hughes is healthy and is off to a fast start when it comes to producing.

In six games, Jack has six goals and three assists for nine points. His six goals have come in his team's last three games, including a hat trick in his club's 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night at the Scotiabank Arena.

After the game, Hughes told reporters that when it comes to putting the puck in the net, it is all about being around the puck and being in the right areas on the ice.

“There’s games where you are going to have looks and games where obviously you are not going to have much,” said Hughes, who had six shots on goal, “so tonight was a night where I was in good spots, the puck was coming to me and [I] kind of had good looks at the net.”

Speaking of being off to a good start on the offensive side of the puck this season, forward Jesper Bratt leads the team with 10 points on three goals and seven assists. Bratt led the team in scoring last season with 88 points (21 goals and 67 assists), so he has picked up right where he left off.

As a whole, the team's offense is third in the league in scoring as they have scored 24 goals in six games. The team is being led by guys like Jack Hughes (six), Connor Brown (three), Bratt (three), Timo Meier (three), and Dawson Mercer (three).

Another reason why the team is off to a hot start is because they are clicking on their special teams. The team is currently fifth in the league with the man advantage as they have scored on 27.8 percent of the opportunities they have been given so far, and they are third in the league on the penalty kill as they have killed off 95.5 percent of the penalties they have taken so far this season.

Lastly, the Devils have been getting excellent goaltending from Jake Allen. Allen is currently 3-0 with a 1.91 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage this year.

All in all, the Devils have been playing outstanding hockey this season. It is up to them to keep it up if they want to be considered contenders the rest of the way.