Devils Stock Up/Stock Down: Markstrom Heroics Mask Issues on Roadtrip

Things have slightly improved for the New Jersey Devils since our last stock up/stock down. The Devils wrapped up the second half of the road trip going 1-1-1, having lost a heartbreaker to the lowly San Jose Sharks, hung on for a win against the Seattle Kraken before closing it out with an overtime loss to the New York Rangers.

They’re enduring their worst losing skid of the season coming out of the holiday break. They went 1-4-1 on the road trip, scoring just 11 goals in the process.

Life won’t get easier for the Devils, who are set to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and Toronto Maple Leafs over the next week.

Devils Stock Up/Stock Down

Stock Up

Jacob Markstrom

Last time out, we highlighted how well the Devils’ organizational goaltending was, but this time around, we’re giving Jacob Markstrom his flowers. Markstrom is having an incredible debut season with the Devils, holding a 2.20 Goals Against Average, a 0.911 Save Percentage, and is eighth in the NHL in Goals Saved Above Expected with 12.6. While the Devils have struggled in just about every facet of their game over the past week, Markstrom has given them a chance to win every night. He’s posted a 1.6 GSAx over his last three starts, a disingenuous number considering his performance against Seattle. Markstrom had not one, not two, but three Save of the Year candidates to singlehandedly end their losing streak. If Markstrom can hold steady and perform like he has, the Devils will be a threat once they rediscover their game.

Jacob Markstrom had 3 save of the year candidates in one game 😱🤯@BillSpaulding | @KenDaneykoMSG | #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/iHdrQjOnmX

— Devils on MSG (@DevilsMSGN) January 7, 2025

Stock Down

Defensive Structure

An issue in the early portions of the season, the Devils began to pile up the wins off the backs of elite team defense performances. It’s what led them to hold teams to 20 or fewer shots in seven straight games and two back-to-back 12-shot shutouts. However, the defensive play has broken down recently, and it’s a reason why the offense has struggled as well. Gaffes in the defensive zone cost them against San Jose and probably should have cost them points against Seattle and New York.

“We’ve shown when we play hard, and we play with structure and purpose, we’re a good team. We’ve also shown when we don’t we’re not a good team. Very simple,” Keefe said after the San Jose loss. “I think the structure is off because we’re not working, we’re not skating, we’re not connected.”

A CODY CECI BLAST BEATS MARKSTROM WITH 24.2 SECONDS LEFT TO WIN IT FOR SAN JOSE 🦈🚨 pic.twitter.com/F9ENDNhKGg

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) January 4, 2025

Stock Up

Paul Cotter

For all the hubbub that is depth scoring, Paul Cotter is making sure he’s doing his part. After going silent for over a month, Cotter found the back of the net three times during the road trip and twice over the last three games. A beautiful bit of stick handling followed by a quick snapshot led to the game-tying goal against San Jose. He followed it up the next night by using his speed off of a set play to get one-on-one with Seattle’s goalie before the puck slid off his stick and between the legs of the keeper. Even against New York, despite going pointless he was noticeable on the forecheck and used his skating and lower-body strength well to hold up pucks in the offensive zone. The bottom six still need to show more, but Cotter’s recent play is a step in the right direction.

DJ Pauly C spinnin’ his track. pic.twitter.com/0Voy8qGVDG

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 7, 2025

Stock Down

Erik Haula

Speaking of bottom-six! This isn’t Erik Haula’s first time on the stock down portion, but at least this time it’s not completely play related. While yes, Haula was a -2 against San Jose, it’s his injury that has him here. It was announced the following day that Haula was “going to miss some time” with an ankle injury. Despite just 11 points over 42 games, Haula was still an important part of the penalty kill, as well as one of their better face-off takers. Adding insult to injury, it was recently revealed that Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald is closely monitoring the Montreal Canadiens center, Jake Evans. The 28-year-old is having a career year for the Habs, is a pending UFA making just $1.7 million, and is viewed as an upgrade at the 3C spot for the Devils.

Sounds like the New Jersey Devils have interest in Jake Evans from the Montreal Canadiens. Evans is having a career offensive season. But be aware of his 28.6% shooting. On the other side, it makes sense that Devils want to replace Erik Haula who is injured. pic.twitter.com/DD75h4jqWH

— Rono (@RonoAnalyst) January 9, 2025

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