Devils' 4-1 Win vs. Jets: Tides Turning

The New Jersey Devils dominated the Winnipeg Jets in their 4-1 win, a sign that perhaps things are changing for the better.

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Everything about how the New Jersey Devils have been playing lately suggested last night's 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets was unlikely. But perhaps that's a sign that things are beginning to change. Not only did the Devils win, but they also dominated one of the best teams in the NHL, not just the Western Conference. Here are three takeaways from the victory. 

Devils Special Teams Decided the Game

Both Devils' special teams units were significant factors in them coming away with the 4-1 win, specifically their power play, which scored three of the team's four goals. 

Let's start with the power play, which seems to be picking up the slack after a two-goal performance against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. The Devils' man advantage was the sharpest it had looked since the first few weeks of the 2023-24 season.

It started in the second period, with the game still at 0-0. Nico Hischier won a faceoff, and the puck eventually found its way to Luke Hughes. While his shot didn't get through to Laurent Brossoit, it ended up in the slot and on Hischier's stick. He put a shot off Brossoit's pad, and Jack Hughes cleaned up the rebound for a 1-0 lead. 

On the Devils' second power play, Luke Hughes fed the puck to Timo Meier along the wall. Meier fired a wrist shot that found its way through traffic and to Hischier, who redirected it past Brossoit for the go-ahead goal and the 2-1 lead. 

The Devils were not done there, either. On their fourth power play, the story was much of the same. Luke Hughes got a shot through traffic and on Brossoit, which left a rebound. The Devils were able to retrieve the puck, and after some passing and fluid movement between Luke Hughes and Meier, Jack Hughes fired a shot through Brossoit's five-hole, partly aided by screens from Meier and Hischier. 

Getting shots through traffic was a significant reason the Devils' power play came to life last night, specifically off the sticks of the Hughes brothers. But their movement with and without the puck was a big reason they broke through.