As we enter the homestretch of this New Jersey Devils season, there will be no shortage of analysis – from this site, other sites, various media outlets, and of course the fans – of what went wrong in 2025-26. The reasons are many, from the individual level to the systemic one. But one issue that I feel has flown a little under the radar is how embarrassingly bad the Devils have played against their own division this season.
The Metropolitan has eaten New Jersey alive, to the point where the Devils’
failure to qualify for the postseason can arguably be traced back to this single issue. To be fair there are flaws to find in games against the rest of the league, but in a season defined by maddening failure, games against the Metro have been the most emblematic of these struggles.
Let’s break it all down.
By The Numbers
We’ll start by taking a look at how the Devils have fared against each Metropolitan Division team from a results standpoint:
If you thought the Hurricanes were the only bad matchup for the Devils within the division, think again. These are absolutely dreadful numbers, with that .333 points percentage prorating to an 82-game pace of approximately 55 points. I’m not sure about you, but I for one don’t think that’s particularly good. If not for the existence of the New York Rangers, the Devils would be no better than .500 against anyone in the division.
Perhaps my “favorite” stat when it comes to New Jersey vs. the Metro is the fact that in those 21 games, the Devils have been outscored 45-76.
Forty-five. To seventy-six.
In 21 games.
That 9-0 demolition at the hands of the Isles on January 6 does skew things a bit, but it doesn’t explain it all away. For New Jersey to be scoring roughly two goals per game while giving up roughly 3.6 goals per game is absolutely catastrophic.
If we’re looking for any sliver of hope, it’s the fact that New Jersey’s underlying numbers are not as abysmal as the goal differential and overall record would lead you to believe. All numbers come from Natural Stat Trick, and all reflect 5-on-5 play:
Again, those numbers are not good (except for the CF%), but at the very least they are not completely terrible. Gotta look for small victories I guess.
The Devils’ current record is 35-32-2. If you took away all those Metropolitan Division games, New Jersey’s record would be 29-19-0. All of a sudden, the Devils’ current .522 points percentage jumps all the way up t0 .604, an 82-game pace of roughly 99. That’s not elite territory, but that’s comfortable playoff team territory. But because the Devils have not figured out how to play hockey against in-division foes, they’ve gone from comfortable postseason team to yet another playoff-less season.
In fairness, the Devils aren’t exactly lighting it up against the other Eastern Conference division either. New Jersey is only 10-9-0 against the Atlantic Division this season, which would not be an 82-game pace that includes playoff hockey either (.526). So perhaps this piece should be more focused on how the Devils have struggled against the entire Eastern Conference, not just the Metropolitan Division. Still, 10-9-0 is worlds better than 6-13-2, a record that is almost hard to believe is real.
And yes, if you’ve been doing the math at home, that means you’ve realized that New Jersey has posted an elite 19-10-0 record against the Western Conference this season. Weird.
Is There Any Way To Salvage This?
The short answer is: Not really. Of New Jersey’s 13 remaining games, five of them are against Metro teams: March 28 at Carolina, March 31 at the Rangers, April 2 vs. Washington, April 7 vs. Philadelphia, and April 9 vs. Pittsburgh. If, inexplicably, the Devils run the table, they would finish with an in-division record of 11-13-2, with 24 points attained against Metropolitan teams. Those 24 points gained out of a possible 52 would be a points percentage of .462, still well short of where they need to be against their own division.
I suppose .462 is significantly better than .333, but it’s still horrendous. And remember, that’s if the Devils win every division game left, which we all know is not happening. Heck, I would sign for four of a possible 10 points, which would genuinely be an improvement over what we’ve seen this season so far. This is how bad things have been for the Devils against the Metropolitan Division. They could collect 40% of the possible points left and that would still improve their standing in the Metro.
Final Thoughts And Your Take
Taking care of business against your own division is not 100% necessary to make the postseason. But it sure is the easiest way to do it, as all those four-point-swing games add up. For the Devils, they’ve been on the short end of that swing far, far too often this season. If you look at it from the opposite point of view, other Metropolitan teams must look at the Devils like a free lunch. Perhaps the Penguins, Islanders, Blue Jackets, and to a lesser extent the Flyers do not have the seasons they are having if not for the fact that they have been able to fatten up against New Jersey. For the Devils, this is an embarrassment that should stick to the ribs all offseason, and the entire organization should return in 2026-27 motivated to flip the script on their division rivals.
What do you make of New Jersey’s struggles against the Metropolitan Division this season? Is there a specific trend you think has led to all the losses? Do you expect the same results next season? What would you do to fix this problem? As always, thanks for reading!
