The New Jersey Devils headed into their building on Saturday afternoon to face their rival New York Rangers, remarkably for the first time all season. Pre-game, head coach Sheldon Keefe said, “Yeah, [not playing them until March] is odd for sure (…) It’s the last team that we haven’t played yet this season.”
To be exact, it had been 336 days since the Devils last played them — and after going 3-0-1 in the Hudson River Rivalry last season — 703 days since they’d suffered a regulation loss.
On the heels of a legendary Jack Hughes performance — against his Olympic head coach Mike Sullivan no less — the Devils continued to get the better of the rivalry, winning 6-3.
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Jack Hughes Continues to Torment the Rangers
Coming into the night, Jack Hughes had 21 points (13G, 8A) in his last 13 games against the New York Rangers. Not too bad, eh!? First, he added to that with a rocket on the power play as his U.S. teammate Vincent Trocheck sat in the box.
He was (rightfully) fired up; not only is every goal during the Hudson River Rivalry a little more special, but it moved him into 12th all-time on the Devils’ franchise goal leaderboard.
Then he scored a breakaway goal, pounding the Devils logo on his chest in an exuberant celebration.
Jack Hughes vs #NYR = inevitable. #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/81tVfeyA7F
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) March 7, 2026
“Our fans did a great job of being energized and giving us a boost,” said Jack postgame. “That was kind of a little nod to them for bringing the heat tonight.”
The icing on top of the cake was an empty netter to notch his fourth career hat-trick and first for a Devil against the Rangers since Scott Gomez in December of 1999.
He now has a remarkable 16 goals and eight assists (24 points) in his last 14 games against the Rangers.
“I mean, that’s what good players do. They shine when the light is brightest,” said captain Nico Hischier.
Devils’ Special Teams Thrive
The Devils’ power play (PP) was looking for a bounce back after mightily struggling lately. Coming into the night, since Jan. 28, their 3.8% conversion rate (1/26) on the man advantage was the worst in the league, and it wasn’t particularly close. (The Winnipeg Jets were second-worst at 10.7%.)
For the season, they had scored 13.42 goals below expected on the PP (via Natural Stat Trick). But they completely flipped the narrative around tonight, scoring three power play goals on 1.26 expected goals.
Furthermore, the penalty kill was phenomenal, killing off all four penalties with relative ease. The most notable was when Arseny Gritsyuk got sent off for roughing after sticking up for a questionable hit on Connor Brown.
“We’re killing that penalty every day for a guy that’s stepping up and defending another guy like that,” said Jesper Bratt postgame.
Last season, games where their special teams carried them were commonplace. This season, they’ve been fewer and further between, so this was much needed for the Devils.
Some Long Overdue Fun Hockey
It doesn’t seem unfair to say that watching the Devils this season has been pretty boring, at least in the goal scoring sense. Coming in, their 1.85 goals per 60 (GF/60) at 5v5 was the worst mark in the league — every other team was above two.
It appears they’ve been trying to go back to playing a freer style of hockey, closer to what made them successful in 2022-23. During this win streak, they’ve increased their scoring chances by 34.7%; in fact, their 35.3 scoring chances per 60 (SCF/60) is the best mark in the league during this span.
Furthermore — and most importantly — their 5v5 goals have risen by over 42%.
“We’re on a good little run here, so we just got to be present in the moment,” said Keefe. “All we can worry about is one period at a time and keep our game going.”
Per Moneypuck, the Devils’ playoff chances have risen to 2.51%. It’s a longshot, but crazier things have happened.
Moving Forward
The Devils — now 32-29-2 — will return to Prudential Center tomorrow (Sunday) to face the Detroit Red Wings (7:00 PM EST).
