Devils in Danger of Hitting Panic Button

The New Jersey Devils, who once were near the top of the Metropolitan Division standings, are now towards the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings. They have lost 5 games in a row and are generally struggling to score, as in their latest 3 losses have been outscored 10-1 and have dropped games to playoff teams.

They recently lost 4-1 to the Boston Bruins, 3-0 to the Vegas Golden Knights and 3-0 to the Dallas Stars. All teams that someone like the Devils would usually stay competitive with and steal a few games from. But as of late, head coach Sheldon Keefe does not have his team playing good hockey and it is ugly to watch.

Dec 6, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; As Boston Bruins left wing Viktor Arvidsson (71) heads for the bench, New Jersey Devils right wing Timo Meier (28) is congratulated after scoring a goal during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Injuries are not always an excuse as to why teams lose games and drop down the standings, but they are missing Jack Hughes, who has a hand injury from a team dinner, which is a significant loss from an offensive standpoint. But they are also missing forward Evgenii Dadonov, forward Zack MacEwen, and defenseman Brett Pesce.

Those are some significant losses, but it's not an excuse for why they have dropped five games in a row. Good teams find a way to have that next man up mentality and figure it out and stop losing streaks. So far, Keefe has not figured that out, but he needs to before the new year and it becomes way too late.

Final from Boston.

Game Story: https://t.co/JnPnZfN1jA pic.twitter.com/TDIOjUfGBo
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) December 7, 2025

The Devils Need to Stay in Playoff Picture

Most teams and NHL fans in general start watching the standings by the time the new year comes around and usually a lot can be put together of who the playoff teams are. And for the Devils losing five straight and starting to fall in the standings, even though the Metro is insanely competitive, says a lot.

When the beginning of January comes around, the playoff picture comes into form about who the contenders usually are and who the pretenders usually are. The Devils need to start picking up the pace and start winning games again and have Keefe figure things out.

The Devils cannot just rely on Jack Hughes and wait for him to get back from his unfortunate injury to start winning again. The guys that are in the lineup and the depth players need to do their part and start scoring and they also need to get good goaltending as well.

It takes the whole team and not just one player for things to go well. It takes everyone and Keefe needs to figure this out and soon.

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