With their playoff hopes already a pipe dream, the New Jersey Devils headed to Pittsburgh on Thursday night in hopes of snapping a four-game skid and restoring the vibes. Instead, they fell flat en route to a 4-1 loss.
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Same Sheet, Different Day
Last time the Devils took to the ice in Pittsburgh, it was following an abysmal 9-0 loss to the New York Islanders. They lost 4-1 and were unable to convert on any of their 27 5v5 scoring chances.
Tonight was an eerily similar story: the Devils had 25 5v5 scoring chances and were similarly unable to put one past Penguins netminder Arturs Silovs, once again losing 4-1. While finishing has been an issue for the Devils all season, the issue during this five-game skid almost transcends what the human brain can fathom. They just can’t buy a goal.
It is the same old storyline for the #NJDevils game after game after game.
— Kristy Flannery (@InStilettos_NHL) February 27, 2026
Per Natural Stat Trick, the Devils have 87 scoring chances at 5v5 since Jan. 31 — including 31 of the high danger variety. They have just two goals.
For the season, they’ve now scored 36.04 goals below expected at 5v5. That would flip their 5v5 goal differential from minus-30 to plus-3. Pretty drastic.
“So close, but yet so far,” said play-by-play announcer Don La Greca on the broadcast when the Penguins added an empty netter. That’s been the story of the season.
Defense Struggles Again
Prior to the Olympic break, it appeared that the defense was making great strides; since Jan. 19, their 2.19 expected goals against per 60 (xGA/60) at 5v5 was the sixth-best mark in the league.
Last night at home, they suffered a rough regression with 2.76 xGA in 46:44 of 5v5 time (3.62 xGA/60) — their worst mark since Jan. 17 against the Carolina Hurricanes and 10th-worst of the season.
It was a similar story tonight with 2.68 xGA in 44:14 of 5v5 time (3.63 xGA/60) — once again their worst mark since Jan. 17. In back-to-back games, they had their fourth and third-worst defensive performances of the calendar year, respectively. Certainly not the way they wanted to come out of the break.
Dougie Hamilton Back on the Board Offensively
As the team has spiraled out of playoff contention, rumors have swirled as to which changes will be made ahead of the Mar. 6 deadline. One of the names mentioned the most has been defenseman Dougie Hamilton.
The Devils’ first goal of the game came on a delayed penalty when Hamilton blasted a puck, which Paul Cotter redirected through. Hamilton has been very streaky this season; after notching eight points in his first 36 games, he rebounded mightily with 13 points in the next 13 contests.
He then went point-less in the next four but with an assist tonight, 14 points in 18 games makes him the 16th-best point producer among 153 regular defensemen in that span.
While it’s still unclear as to what the next week or so has in store for Hamilton, him playing his best hockey won’t hurt any parties involved — except for the price of a potential suitor.
Moving Forward
The Devils — now 28-29-2 — will look to return to the win column on Saturday as they head west to face the St. Louis Blues (5:00 PM EST).
