Connor Hellebuyck and Jack Hughes Have Turned the 13-6 New Jersey Devils Into an Even-Strength Juggernaut

Choruses of boos rained down from the Manitoba rafters during Tuesday night's pregame warmups even though Connor Hellebuyck never left the bench after puck drop, watching backup Jake Allen man the crease as the New Jersey Devils absorbed an emotional 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. Sitting out his initial trip back to Winnipeg following his contentious trade departure hardly dimmed what Hellebuyck's arrival has already unlocked in Newark.

Nineteen games into Sheldon Keefe's system, New Jersey owns a commanding 13-6 record and second place in the Metropolitan Division, fueled by 3.61 goals per game, 101 team assists (11th in the NHL), and a +15 goal differential. Pairing a franchise netminder holding a .913 save percentage with Jack Hughes' 26-point artistry has forged a heavyweight contender—provided Keefe repairs a leaky penalty kill starting Thursday at Prudential Center against Washington.

Blockbuster Crease Stability Elevates Newark to 13-6 Contender Status

For years, New Jersey's ceiling was held hostage by volatile goaltending that wasted elite rush offense. Granting Hellebuyck's wish for a fresh start out of Winnipeg erased that vulnerability overnight. Prior to resting during Tuesday's emotionally charged return north of the border, Hellebuyck blanked Toronto 4-0 with 23 clinical stops for his first shutout in a Devils sweater, exemplifying the calm rebound control that allows New Jersey's blueliners to activate aggressively.

Under Keefe, the Devils have paired Hellebuyck's poise with late-game killer instinct, highlighted by Saturday's thrilling 5-4 overtime comeback win against the rival New York Islanders capped by a Jack Hughes game-winner. Sitting 13-6 with zero overtime defeats, New Jersey trails only 14-3 Carolina atop the Metropolitan standings, validating preseason belief that elite goaltending was the final missing ingredient. Few teams close out opponents with New Jersey's late-game wave: the Devils rank second across the NHL in second-period shots on goal (228) and first league-wide in third-period shots (208), overwhelming tired defenses over the final 40 minutes.

Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and a Relentless Wave of Transition Skill

Keefe's forward deployment splits opposing matchup pairs down the middle. Captain Nico Hischier centers a heavy, puck-hounding first line between power winger Timo Meier—fresh off a multi-goal performance prior to the Winnipeg trip—and crafty newcomer Luke Evangelista on the right flank. That frees superstar center Jack Hughes (nine goals, 17 assists, 26 points) to terrorize second-pair defenders alongside dynamic playmaker Jesper Bratt and skilled Russian winger Arseny Gritsyuk.

Bottom-six versatility keeps the pace blistering across all four units, with veteran Evan Rodrigues, Cody Glass, and Connor Brown forming a responsible third line ahead of Amadeus Lombardi, Jesper Boqvist, and depth wingers like Riley Tufte. On the back end, Luke Hughes skates beside shutdown stalwart Brett Pesce on the top pairing, Jonas Siegenthaler balances Dougie Hamilton's heavy point blast on the second duo, and Declan Chisholm, Johnathan Kovacevic, and veteran Brenden Dillon round out a mobile defensive rotation ahead of Hellebuyck and backup Allen.

Dominant 57.6 Percent Shot Control Masked by an 86.9 Special Teams Liability

Strip away special teams, and New Jersey's five-on-five engine looks every bit as terrifying as Carolina's. The Devils control 57.6 percent of shots on goal, peppering opponents with 33.7 shots per contest while yielding just 24.8 shots against for a +160 shot differential that ranks second across the entire NHL. Even better for long-term sustainability, New Jersey's five-on-five PDO sits at a dead-neutral 99.5, built on a modest 10.7 percent team shooting clip (23rd) and .888 aggregate save rate (18th)—proving this 13-6 start owes nothing to fluky puck luck.

Where New Jersey leaves standings points on the table is an alarming 86.9 percent Special Teams Net Index. Despite elite talent, the power play converts just 19.3 percent (23rd in the NHL, 11 goals), while the penalty kill ranks 29th league-wide at a porous 67.6 percent. Playing a speed-first style that ranks 29th in hits (303) and 30th in blocked shots (206) works brilliantly at even strength—aided by 84 takeaways (fourth in the NHL)—yet shorthanded passive box coverage has invited too many clean seam one-timers. One saving grace cushioning that 29th-ranked penalty kill is New Jersey's immaculate stick discipline: Keefe's skaters have been shorthanded an NHL-low 37 times all season while potting two shorthanded tallies and surrendering zero shorthanded goals against.

Blue-Line Depth Tests With Seamus Casey on IR and Kovacevic Day-to-Day

Keefe's defensive depth chart is navigating a pair of notable absences entering Thursday's home divisional clash against Washington. Promising 22-year-old blueliner Seamus Casey resides on injured reserve with a knee injury (eligible November 21 at the earliest, though recovery projections point toward missing at least 19 additional games before potential minor-league conditioning work), while physical right-shot defender Johnathan Kovacevic is questionable with an undisclosed day-to-day issue (estimated return November 12).

If Kovacevic cannot go Thursday, veteran Brenden Dillon and Declan Chisholm give New Jersey proven NHL stability behind its top four of Luke Hughes, Pesce, Siegenthaler, and Hamilton. Up front, big winger Anthony Mantha has been sidelined with a neck injury (estimated return November 12), whose impending return would inject valuable net-front size onto the second power-play unit while Hellebuyck steps freshly rested back into the home crease after Allen handled the Winnipeg spotlight.

Fixing Shorthanded Details Ahead of the 2027 Stanley Cup Playoff Push

From a process standpoint, having a 29th-ranked penalty kill and 23rd-ranked power play serve as your primary flaws while sitting 13-6 is an enviable problem for a coaching staff. Special teams percentages swing rapidly once units tighten stick details on entries, whereas generating a +160 shot differential at five-on-five is an identity trait that holds up across an 82-game marathon. Drawing 57 power-play opportunities (tied for 15th) against just 37 shorthanded trips already gives Newark a +20 opportunity margin, meaning even league-average conversion rates on both special-teams units would turn tight divisional games into comfortable routs.

Returning to Prudential Center on Thursday night to host a surging 10-6 Washington Capitals squad offers an immediate divisional litmus test. With Hellebuyck fresh, Jack Hughes producing at an MVP clip, and positive finishing regression likely from a roster shooting just 10.7 percent on 33.7 shots per night, New Jersey possesses every tool required to challenge Carolina for the Metropolitan crown and make serious noise in the 2027 Stanley Cup Playoffs.