Devils' Hischier Leading Team's Playoff Push

With 23 points across his last 21 games, Nico Hischier is leading the New Jersey Devils' charge to get back in a playoff spot.

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The New Jersey Devils are coming off an impressive win against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stadium Series over the weekend. A significant reason for their 6-3 victory was because of Nico Hischier, who finished with two goals and an assist under the lights at MetLife. 

Hischier is up to 38 points in 43 games this season, but he's on a particularly great run, with 23 points across his last 21 games — an 89-point pace over 82 games. Not only is he playing well, but he's also one-third of one of the best lines in hockey at the moment. Let's look at Hischier's play and how he's helping the team get back in the playoff race. 

Hischier Leading in All Aspects

Hischier's performance against the Flyers was a good encapsulation of how he's been playing lately. Not only did he find the scoresheet, but the Devils had clear control of play when he was on the ice at five-on-five with Jesper Bratt and Ondřej Palát. 

We'll take a closer look at that line combo later in this article, but for now, Hischier's play deserves the attention. As I mentioned on the podcast yesterday, he leads the team in expected goals share (xG%) since they’ve come back from the All-Star break at 64.28 percent. 

The Devils are tilting the ice in his minutes since the All-Star break, but it's not just his on-ice results that are impressive. Hischier has been one of the team's best shot and chance creators at five-on-five, averaging the most scoring and high-danger chances per 60 minutes over the last two weeks. 

This isn't just a nice little two-week stretch for Hischier, though. His strong play dates back to around the turn of the calendar (Dec. 29, 2023, to be specific), which is when this stretch of 23 points in 21 games began.