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Devils Depth Forwards Struggling at Worst Time

The New Jersey Devils are struggling through a losing streak at the worst time of the season.

Jacob Punturi

Jan 18, 2025; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Bobby Brink (10) scores a goal on New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen (34) during the third period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Jan 18, 2025; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Bobby Brink (10) scores a goal on New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen (34) during the third period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images / Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
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After a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, the New Jersey Devils dropped their third straight game and their eighth out of their last tenth contests. It's been a difficult stretch for the Devils, and it's coming at the worst time.

The Devils are slipping further down the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference standings. Now 2-5-3 in their last 10, the team's head coach Sheldon Keefe told team reporter Amanda Stein that every part of the game seems to be a struggle for his team.

"From our own end on out, we’re just struggling to string together two passes," Keefe said. "It’s been tough, we’re fighting the puck in a lot of areas."

Over their current three-game losing streak, they are being thoroughly outplayed. Going against the Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers, the've been outshot three straight times and struggle to create quality scoring chances.

One noticeable player strugging is star winger Timo Meier. The 28-year-old forward has one goal and four points over the last 10 games, making it one of his least productive stretches of the season.

But a bigger problem over this losing span is their lack of production from the bottom of their lineup. The start of their season was filled with depth players producing and contributing on a regular basis. Players like Paul Cotter, Stefan Noesen and Dawson Mercer were rounding out their top-nine forward group with quality two-way players.

That hasn't been the case over these last few weeks, however. Noesen has just two goals and four points over his last 10, a strong deviation from the 15 goals he netted in the first 35 games of the season. Mercer has just one goal and two points and Cotter has three goals in his last 10. While star players like Meier are also failing to pull their weight offensively, the absence of scoring from their third and fourth liners is making a tangible difference on the outcomes of their games.

Now the Devils are struggling through this losing streak at the worst possible time of the season. The 2025 NHL Trade Deadline is a few weeks away, and they were slated to be aggressive buyers entering the deadline. If they keep losing like this, however, the Devils could be quickly on the outside looking in on the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

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Jacob Punturi
JACOB PUNTURI

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