Over the course of a long NHL season, there are always going to be highs and lows, moments when everything falls perfectly into place, and others when nothing seems to work out. The Devils came out of the gate on fire, stacking wins and looking every bit the powerhouse they aim to be.
But as every team learns, no streak lasts forever. When the momentum inevitably breaks, it can feel like a gut punch for fans and even more so for the players. Because make no mistake, no one takes a loss harder than the guys in the locker room. They want to win every single night, and that drive is what keeps them pushing through the ups and downs of an 82-game grind.
But the most important thing, is how you meet that moment. And, as Nico Hischier pointed out post-game in Colorado, without any prompt, is how the team responds. That response, not the streak itself, often defines a team over the long haul.
In that same vein, head coach Sheldon Keefe shared these comments following the loss against the Avalanche, that came after such a strong stretch of play by the team. The Devils had been performing well over the first 10 games of the season, putting themselves in a promising position in the standings. Keefe also made mention of how the team responds to rather than dwelling on the defeat itself. It’s something he believes the team has earned.
“We’ve played good hockey, we’ve put ourselves in a good spot here coming through ten games,” he said. “Listen, no one is harder on this team than I am, and this team deserves to push past this one pretty quickly, learn from it. It’s pretty obvious they don’t feel great about the game, but we’ll push past it. I’m really interested in our response, that’s my only focus, is our response. I think our team has earned the right to push past this one and be interested to see how we respond and just push ahead.”
One of the great parts of an NHL season is just the number of people you come across from the past, whether you’re visiting their rink or they’re coming to yours. The people in the game are what make it so great.
So when the Minnesota Wild were in New Jersey on Wednesday, I made a point of going over to see their head coach, John Hynes, who I worked with for my first two-plus years here. He was also the first head coach to coach both Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt as they made their NHL debuts. Nine years later, I wanted to get Hynes’s perspective on who, in particular, Jesper Bratt has become.
My favorite quote was that Bratt is an absolute nightmare to coach against and play against. But Hynes offered so much more, like the time he went to general manager Ray Shero.
“We were in Montreal for one of the exhibition games,” Hynes recalled. “He was playing in every situation and he was just so dynamic. And I remember coming out after the game and I was talking with Ray Shero and I’m like, this guy is the real deal, because we were thinking he was going back to Sweden, I remember saying, this guy is real, he’s going to be able to play and then he wound up making the team right away.”
Who Bratt has evolved into is also no surprise to Hynes. He said you could see it coming, the way he was curious, asking questions and even as a rookie, not shy about engaging with the coaching staff.
Here’s a story he shared:
“Even as a young player, he would ask other players questions and he would go in with (assistant coach) Jeff Ward and he wanted to see his shifts, he wanted to look at it on video and it would be a conversation versus just a young guy listening and saying ‘Yes, yes, yes’. He would understand, but then he would say ‘Here is what I saw, here’s what I thought’, so you could see right away that his hockey knowledge, he wanted to always know more and have a conversation.”
As a big reader myself, I’m super excited to see how the new program by the Hughes brothers, Pucks & Pages, will influence the next generation of hockey fans and readers.
I’m really glad that more people are starting to realize how much Jack values reading and how big a part of his life it is. It’s easy to focus on his talent and intensity on the ice, but knowing that he spends his free time with a book adds another layer to who he is, thoughtful, curious, and always looking to grow. It’s great to see that side of him, beyond the ice, recognized, and it’s clear that reading isn’t just a casual hobby for Jack, it’s something he genuinely cares about and makes time for, no matter how busy his schedule gets. It’s part of how he decompresses.
But what I think I really appreciate most is his love for the physical book. The Hughes brothers have a library of books at their home in Michigan, and they’re clearly proud of it. Jack always has a book in his hand, the actual physical book and not an E-reader.
Introducing the Hughes’ Brothers Pucks & Pages, presented by JAG Physical Therapy.
How I know that Arseny Gritsyuk is fitting in just fine in the Devils locker room? He sits close to Cody Glass and on one practice day, when I approached Glass for a post-practice interview, Gritsyuk was walking by and goes “Ohh! Cody! Interview for Cody!”
If you’ve been fortunate enough to be in a locker room, this is the universal language when it comes to chirping your teammates for having to do interviews.
You have to imagine the Devils’ front office is both thrilled and maybe a little surprised by how seamlessly Gritsyuk has fit in from day one. The quote that really stood out to me was Sheldon Keefe calling him a “complete hockey player.” It’s obvious the team knew they were getting a talented offensive weapon, but there seems to be some genuine surprise at how well-rounded his overall game is. You don’t get promoted to a line with Nico Hischier unless you’ve earned that trust; those are tough minutes against some of the best players in the league.
So far, Gritsyuk’s game hasn’t missed a beat.
That was a scary injury earlier this season when former Devil Miles Wood was caught with a high-stick in the eye when New Jersey was visiting the Blue Jackets. Wood who is expected to make his return to the Blue Jackets lineup on Tuesday, called it the scariest injury he’s ever had, but had zero ill-will toward the play.
“There was a loose puck there, and my head was down,” he told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. “(Hamilton) just kind of made a normal defensive play, and it was just a freak thing.”
Hedger also made note that several of Wood’s former Devils teammates, as well as the staff, all reached out to him to check in on him. It’s a reminder that the bonds built between players and organizations run deep and that the connection doesn’t just fade once someone moves on. Those relationships, through years of shared experiences, competition, and respect, often last long after a player has moved on.
How about this quote from Minnesota Wild Matt Boldy after the Devils beat the Wild last Wednesday night?
“It’s like a playoff game versus the Devils. You have to advance pucks, you have to make the right play, win battles. You got to make the right play always; they make you pay when you don’t.”
Just like Sheldon Keefe said after the win against Minnesota in the locker room to his team, “when we play like that, if it hasn’t become already obvious, we are extremely hard to beat. We’re extremely hard to beat, everybody’s contributing, everybody is having their moments and stepping up. It’s different guys each night.”
We’re so used to hearing opponents talk about the Devils’ speed and offensive firepower, about how tough it is to contain them, and while that’s still true, seeing a quote like Boldy’s shows just how much the Devils’ overall game has evolved.
It won’t be perfect every night, everyone knows that, but there’s something to be said for hearing other teams talk with a slight tweak in the narrative.
Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe talks to the club after a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild.
We’re officially 100 days out from the start of the 2026 Olympics, and the long-awaited return of NHL players to best-on-best competition. National teams are already deep into their prep work, fine-tuning roster notes and getting some in-person visits in.
There have been some notable guests in the Prudential Center press box last week, too. Sam Hallam, head coach of the Swedish national team and bench boss for their Olympic squad, has been in attendance for the Devils’ games against both the Oilers and the Sharks. Safe to say, some early roster scouting is underway.
There’s little to no doubt that Jesper Bratt will be part of Sweden’s Olympic roster when the Games roll around, his elite skill and consistency make him a lock. Bratt reunited with Hallam, the two catching up after the games at Prudential Center last week. Hallam had a bevvy of Swedish players to watch between the Oilers, Sharks and Devils all in one spot. Along with Bratt, Hallam got his eyes on Sharks William Eklund and Sweden is well represented on Minnesota’s roster, between goalie Filip Gustavsson and forwards Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Johansson as well as defensemen Jonas Brodin.
And while Jacob Markstrom was still recovering from injury and wasn’t dressed for the game, he, too, caught up with Hallam.
Last week, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald told The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun that, along with his brother Luke, he wants to see Jack Hughes continue to write their own legacies in New Jersey for a long time.
Fittingly, Jack added another memorable moment over the weekend with his overtime winner, the ninth of his career, moving him past Scott Niedermayer for second all-time in franchise history.
He still has some ground to cover to catch Patrik Elias, who holds the top spot with 16, but with the way Hughes’ superstardom continues to rise, there’s no question he has plenty of runway left to make that record his own.
COL@NJD: Hughes scores goal against Trent Miner
Putting together our game day morning coverage through Devils Download has been such a blast, especially the pregame in Colorado, where walking past the Museum of Illusions sparked the idea for that fun video. I really appreciate all the fantastic feedback on it!
It also got me thinking… as we dive deeper into the season, are there any spots in NHL cities you’d like to see me check out? Send me a message on social media, and maybe we can make it happen! I’ve got a few ideas lined up for different cities, but I’d love to hear your suggestions too.
Seamus Casey and Juho Lammikko make their season debuts tonight in Denver.
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