New Jersey Devils

Devils Stock Up/Stock Down: Four Nations Break Comes at the Perfect Time

In this edition of New Jersey Devils stock up/stock down, the Devils go 2-2 in their final stretch before the Four Nations break.

Published

1 month ago

February 11, 2025

Nick Natale

New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen (34) looks on in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

It was a rocky couple of weeks, but the New Jersey Devils have made it to the Four Nations break. Since our last stock up/stock down, the Devils embarked on their final four games before the two week pause, in which they went 2-2. The week started with a disappointing loss to the lowly Buffalo Sabres, followed by a low-event shootout win versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, then a putrid performance against the Vegas Golden Knights on home ice, before wrapping up the week with an emphatic win in Montreal against the Canadiens.

The Devils will now have a 10 day break to regroup before the final dash to the playoffs. They currently sit third in the Metro division with 68 points, just two points back of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Devils Stock Up/Stock Down

Stock Up

Jesper Bratt

One-third of the PB&J line, Jesper Bratt has quietly been on a tear in recent weeks. Despite the Devils lack of offense, Bratt has put together an eight game point streak, which includes six points in the last four games. His streak stems back to the home game against the Boston Bruins, and in that time Bratt has accumulated 12 points. He’s a point back of his running mate Jack Hughes in scoring, and is neck-and-neck with him in most advanced analytics. Bratt is one half of the driving force of the Devils offense, and unless a surprise trade for another star forward is made, he’ll have to continue to be for the remainder of the season.

That puck was poutine by Bratter. pic.twitter.com/ElqoQ6unCc

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) February 8, 2025

Stock Down

Jonas Siegenthaler

The injury bug strikes again, this time hitting defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler. After losing both Jacob Markstrom and Nico Hischier for extended periods of time, the Devils now lose their top shutdown defenseman for the foreseeable future. Just how long he will be out for is unknown, but an expert has predicted he will miss a considerable amount of time with a lower-body injury. Siegenthaler and Johnathan Kovacevic had formed one of the top shutdown pairings in the NHL, and his impact will be felt at 5v5 and the penalty kill as well. The Devils have turned to young Simon Nemec to fill the void, but there’s really no way to replace a player with Siegenthaler’s defensive pedigree.

Beauvillier-Siegenthaler collision #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/PO7ykOnehH

— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) February 5, 2025

Stock Up

Jake Allen

Jake Allen was faced with the mountainous task of filling in for Markstrom following his injury, and has done so exceptionally. Since taking the net against the Bruins, Allen has a 4-3-0 record with a 2.08 goals against average and a 0.934 save percentage. Allen also added two more shutouts, tying him for second most in the NHL with four, as well as vaulting him into the top five of goals saved above expected with 16.1. Markstrom may not be quite ready to take back the crease after the break, so Allen will need to continue his dominance to give the Devils a chance to win every night.

Jake Allen was PERFECT! 😈

A 34-save performance for his fourth @pepsi shutout of the season! pic.twitter.com/o1tCWZrXCe

— NHL (@NHL) February 8, 2025

Stock Down

Simon Nemec

Simon Nemec is, and will be, a good NHLer, but this past week will be one to forget. Nemec got the call-up to replace Siegenthaler and played in his first NHL game since mid-October against Vegas. The results were not pretty. He was a -1 in just 12:32 of ice time, with head coach Sheldon Keefe rotating Nemec in with other defensemen. He had a team-worst 4.6% goals percentage, as well as an 18.8% Corsi percentage and a 18.2% Fenwick percentage. Keefe did well by not placing the blame on the young defenseman, but it was clear that he was trying to do way too much in his first game back. His performance against Montreal two nights later was significantly better, and the Devils will need him to regain his 2023-24 form if he wants to stay in the lineup long term while Siegenthaler is out.