Devils' Schedule Softens in January

The New Jersey Devils should get a bit of a reprieve with a schedule that begins to soften in January.

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The New Jersey Devils have played a pretty grueling schedule to this point of the 2024-25 season. Their 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on New Year's Day was game No. 41, tied with the San Jose Sharks for most games played so far.

There will be a break in the schedule next month with the Four Nations Face-off set to take place. But even in January, the Devils should get a bit of relief.

Devils Close Out Current Road Trip With Winnable Games

Head coach Sheldon Keefe said as much as after the Devils' 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, but the team hasn't been playing their best hockey since returning from the Christmas break.

He'd be correct, as the Devils' five-on-five numbers have declined in their four games since Christmas. They have a 50.5 expected goals share (xG%), with their defense dropping off the most.

The Devils are giving up 2.54 expected goals per 60 minutes in their four games since Christmas, a sharp decrease that saw that number below 2.1 expected goals per 60 in their ten games before the break.

Perhaps that's some expected regression since the Devils held most of their opponents to 20 shots on goal or fewer for most of those ten games. Fortunately, this month's schedule should allow them to find their game again, starting tonight against the Sharks.

The Sharks are no pushovers. Just ask the Tampa Bay Lightning, who lost 2-1 to the Sharks on Jan. 2. Still, this is a team the Devils should have an advantage over. The Sharks allow 2.95 expected goals per 60 minutes and generate just 2.21 expected goals per 60 at five-on-five.

Assuming Alexandar Georgiev gets the net for the Sharks, the Devils should also break some of their scoring concerns since returning from the Christmas layoff.

The Devils follow up tonight's game against the Sharks with a tilt against the Seattle Kraken, who they already beat 3-2. They're not in the same company as the Sharks, but they've also struggled to defend while not generating much offense.

These two games could be good get-right spots for the Devils, who could use a couple of wins to break their three-game losing streak. But they also conclude this road trip with a tilt against the New York Rangers, a team they've outscored 10-1 in their two matchups this season.

The Rangers have struggled mightily to defend the rush. That plays into the Devils' hands since they are a top-five rush team, and the Rangers could be without Igor Shesterkin, who's on IR with an upper-body injury.