The New Jersey Devils have played more hockey than any other team in the NHL to start the 2024-25 season and have had mixed results along the way. New head coach Sheldon Keefe knew that it was a difficult road, given where they started the year in Prague, and that the team needed time to adjust to the new system, something that the team hasn’t had an ability to do yet this season.
“Tonight’s game was our ninth game in the last 16 days,” said Keefe when praising his team’s gritty performance in an overtime loss to the Islanders. “That’s almost unheard of. We played a lot of hockey and that’s coming back from Prague. We look like a team that hasn’t practiced much. We’ve had two practices in the last 16 days.”
The results over the past week certainly showed a team that is still coming to grips with its own identity. Both losses to the Red Wings and Islanders were different in nature. The Devils out-paced the Red Wing midweek in Detroit and found themselves out-witted against a veteran, albeit problematic, Islanders team. Still, the team has a winning record and while they’ve played at least four more games than any other team in the league, there are positives to build on within the group.
One of those positives is Brett Pesce. The former Carolina Hurricane hasn’t had much time to adjust to his new team. His recovery from a broken leg in last season’s playoffs saw him miss significant time with his new team. His midweek appearance against Detroit marked his first with the Devils and his introduction to the local rivalry with the Islanders saw him play significant minutes on back-to-back days.
“My feel of the game and timing is a bit off but that’s to be expected,” said Pesce when pressed about how he has adjusted to the new season. “I’ve never not had a training camp or starting the year like this, it’s been interesting. Kudos to the staff here, they’ve been unbelievable. Nothing but good things to say about them.”
While Pesce knows that both games this past week were winnable, there is a sense that the process is moving along. The Devils are a team that seem stuck in transition but incredibly effective on the puck. Their dynamism was on display when coming back three times on the Islanders and the ability of players like Luke Hughes, Curtis Lazar and Jesper Bratt has been on display.
“Good teams don’t panic,” said Pesce. “You’re not going to have your best every night and it’s not going to go your way every night. You stick to it and you trust your system, your process and you trust your teammates then good things happen.
No rest for the wicked as the Devils have just one day off before returning to the ice tomorrow night against the Anaheim Ducks at Prudential Center. After that the team returns to the road in one of their longest trips against Vancouver on Wednesday.