New Jersey Devils

Metropolitan Division, Eastern Conference

Current Standings

GP	W	L	OTL	PTS	GF	GA	DIFF	PTS %	Last 10
2	1	1	0	2	3	8	-5	50.0%

Playoff Probabilities

6.1%

Make Playoffs

0.1%

Win Division

0.0%

Win Conference

0.0%

Win Stanley Cup

Based on 100,000 simulations run on Oct 05, 2026

Likely First-Round Opponents

Opponent	Probability	Likelihood
New York Islanders	1.4%
Detroit Red Wings	1.2%
Washington Capitals	1.2%
Carolina Hurricanes	0.7%

Probabilities sum to 6.1% (= playoff probability). Remaining 93.9% = miss playoffs.

Analysis

Summary

The New Jersey Devils are on the fringes of the Eastern Conference race with just a 1.5% playoff probability, reflecting how steep their climb has become. At 58 points through 57 games, they would need a near-perfect finish and significant help from multiple teams ahead of them to stay alive.

Record and Recent Performance

New Jersey’s 28-27-2 record translates to a 50.9% points percentage, well below typical playoff pace, and their minus-29 goal differential underscores season-long defensive issues. The team strength rating of 43.8% places them near the bottom of the conference, and recent form at 40.0% suggests they have not shown the sustained surge required to close gaps in the standings. Even with modestly better home (44.6%) and away (44.4%) splits, the Devils have played like a sub-.500 team overall.

The Competition

The Devils sit 15th in the conference, already 11 points behind the Islanders at the current cutline of 69 points and projected to finish at 96.7. Teams directly ahead such as Washington (65 points), Columbus (65), and Ottawa (63) all project well above New Jersey’s 84.9-point finish, while stronger contenders like Boston, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo are tracking near or above 100 points. With so many teams to pass and several of them posting significantly higher strength ratings, gaining ground is highly unrealistic at this stage.

Remaining Schedule

New Jersey has 25 games left with a favorable 14 at home and an average overall schedule difficulty, facing opponents with a 52.2% strength rating. That said, the model expects just 26.9 additional points from those games, which would leave them more than 10 points short of the projected playoff cutoff. Even outperforming expectations by several wins would still require multiple teams above them to collapse simultaneously.

Outlook

While the Devils are not mathematically eliminated, their playoff path is extremely narrow and depends on a dramatic and sustained turnaround that has not appeared all season. Realistically, the final stretch is more about player development, evaluating the roster, and building momentum for next year rather than chasing a postseason berth.

Generated Feb 08, 2026 5:15 PM — AI-generated, may contain inaccuracies

Bandwagon Options

Your team's playoff hopes are fading — here are some teams worth cheering for:

Colorado Avalanche

Central · Western

W	L	OTL	PTS	Diff	Str	Playoff	Cup
2	0	0	4	+9	82.3%	70.6%	2.1%

If you miss watching elite, game-breaking talent every night, Colorado delivers with Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar driving one of the most explosive teams in the league. They play fast, aggressive, skill-heavy hockey that’s easy to fall in love with. As a Western Conference powerhouse, you can jump on without dealing with Metro baggage.

Dallas Stars

Central · Western

W	L	OTL	PTS	Diff	Str	Playoff	Cup
0	2	0	0	-5	12.4%	93.0%	12.8%

Dallas is a balanced contender with depth down the middle, strong goaltending, and a blue line that can both defend and push play. They’re built the way Devils fans appreciate — structured but still dangerous offensively. It’s a steady, professional group that looks built for a long run out West.

Buffalo Sabres

Atlantic · Eastern

W	L	OTL	PTS	Diff	Str	Playoff	Cup
1	1	0	2	-2	43.8%	59.5%	1.9%

If you want to stick in the East without cheering a rival, Buffalo is a fun, offense-first team that feels a bit like a Devils cousin. They’ve leaned into young skill and play with pace, and their fan base is starving for a breakthrough. There’s something relatable about riding with a talented group trying to take the next step.

Anaheim Ducks

Pacific · Western

W	L	OTL	PTS	Diff	Str	Playoff	Cup
2	0	0	4	+2	72.1%	15.5%	0.1%

Anaheim is your underdog-with-upside option. They’re not the flashiest contender, but they’ve scratched and clawed their way into the picture and play a scrappy, resilient style. It’s low-pressure bandwagoning — if they make noise, you look like a genius for hopping on early.

Generated Mar 08, 2026 1:51 AM — AI-generated, may contain inaccuracies

Required Win Percentage for Playoffs

52.1%

Coin Flip (50%)

Even odds

53.9%

Likely (75%)

Probable scenario

56.1%

Near-Certain (95%)

Safe scenario

Win percentage needed in remaining games to achieve each playoff probability threshold. A checkmark (✓) means the team has mathematically clinched a playoff spot. A dash (—) means the threshold is impossible to reach.

Playoff Probability Breakdown

Understanding the factors that drive the 6.1% playoff probability

📊 Schedule Context

Remaining Games: 41 home, 41 away (50% home)

Schedule Balance: Balanced

Opponent Strength: 53.3% (vs 52.1% avg)

Schedule Difficulty: Average

🎯 Key Factors

Conference Position: 15 in Eastern

Projected Points: 82.0 pts

Expected Points (Remaining): 80.0 pts

Based on: 100,000 simulations

🏒 Playoff Picture

8th Place Cutoff: ~95.5 pts (projected)

Points Gap: 13.6 pts below cutoff

Current Points: 2 pts

Analysis

⚠️ Mathematically alive but needs near-perfect record

Playoff probabilities are calculated through Monte Carlo simulation, running 10,000+ scenarios of the remaining season. Each game is simulated based on team strength ratings, home ice advantage (~55% win rate), and opponent matchups.

Points Distribution vs. Cutline

Projected to finish with 76–88 points (middle 50%). The playoff cutline is typically 94–97 points. Finishes above the cutline in 7.5% of simulations.

45 117

Team points Playoff cutline (8th place) Cutline middle 50% range

Team Projection

Low (10th pctile): 71 pts

Median (50th): 82 pts

High (90th pctile): 93 pts

Playoff Cutline

Low (10th pctile): 92 pts

Median (50th): 95 pts

High (90th pctile): 99 pts

Playoff Race — Eastern Conference

#	Team	PTS	GP	Left	STR	L10	SOS	Proj PTS	Playoff %
4	FLA	4	3	79	57.2%	80.0%	50.9%	89.5	26.3%
5	MTL	3	2	80	59.5%	60.0%	51.0%	93.4	44.4%
6	CAR	3	3	79	44.0%	75.0%	52.8%	100.5	75.9%
7	TOR	2	3	79	38.2%	35.0%	51.8%	93.9	46.8%
8	OTT	2	1	81	70.6%	30.0%	50.9%	85.5	13.8%

9	WSH	2	2	80	61.5%	85.0%	52.0%	104.9	89.3%
10	BUF	2	2	80	43.8%	50.0%	52.5%	96.5	59.5%
11	TBL	2	2	80	41.4%	55.0%	51.7%	94.2	48.5%
12	NYI	2	2	80	67.2%	30.0%	51.9%	106.1	91.6%
13	CBJ	2	2	80	50.0%	50.0%	52.2%	96.4	58.6%
14	PHI	2	3	79	20.3%	30.0%	53.7%	77.7	2.0%
15	NJD	2	2	80	34.2%	65.0%	53.3%	82.0	6.1%
16	DET	0	2	80	14.9%	40.0%	53.1%	107.2	93.6%

Team Strength Metrics

Overall Strength	Home Strength	Away Strength	Pythagorean Win %	Recent Form
34.2%	39.6%	35.6%	12.3%	65.0%

Player Statistics

#	Player	Pos	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	HIT	BLK	TOI
86	Jack Hughes	C	63	28	50	78	+1	4	33	21:22
63	Jesper Bratt	L	84	22	50	72	-10	76	24	18:45
13	Nico Hischier	C	84	28	37	65	-5	60	64	20:40
28	Timo Meier	R	79	24	20	44	-18	137	52	18:30
91	Dawson Mercer	C	84	20	22	42	-4	34	48	18:09
7	Dougie Hamilton	D	79	13	26	39	-6	90	81	21:32
43	Luke Hughes	D	70	7	29	36	-3	19	54	23:00
81	Arseny Gritsyuk	R	68	13	18	31	-6	61	20	15:13
12	Cody Glass	C	72	19	7	26	+2	44	41	13:30
71	Jonas Siegenthaler	D	84	0	16	16	-12	93	140	19:30
5	Brenden Dillon	D	84	3	12	15	-14	205	107	17:54
11	Stefan Noesen	R	40	3	4	7	-14	37	15	11:32
22	Brett Pesce	D	39	1	6	7	-10	12	80	20:14
77	Luke Evangelista	R	2	0	1	1	0	1	2	18:32
17	Evan Rodrigues ← FLA	C	2	0	0	0	-4	3	0	16:43
47	Declan Chisholm ← WSH	D	2	0	0	0	-2	0	2	13:36
70	Jesper Boqvist ← FLA	C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
39	Anthony Mantha ← PIT	R	2	0	0	0	-1	1	0	16:16
93	Amadeus Lombardi	C	2	0	0	0	-2	0	0	8:08
16	Connor Brown	R	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
44	Dennis Cholowski	D	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
33	Evgenii Dadonov	L	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Johnathan Kovacevic	D	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
83	Juho Lammikko	C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	Lenni Hameenaho	R	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
21	Marc McLaughlin	C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
72	Nick Bjugstad	C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
38	Topias Vilen	D	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
19	Zack MacEwen	R	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Colton White	D	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
48	Brian Halonen	L	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
71	Simon Nemec	D	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
47	Paul Cotter	L	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
72	Maxim Tsyplakov	R	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
41	Luke Glendening	C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
81	Ondrej Palat	L	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Recent Games (Last 10)

Date	Opponent	Location	Score	Result	Opp Strength	Playoff Impact
Oct 03	New York Islanders	Away	6 - 0	L	67.2%	-1.9%
Oct 01	Philadelphia Flyers	Home	3 - 2 (OT)	W	20.3%	+4.7%
Sep 26	New York Islanders	Away	1 - 4	W	67.2%	-
Sep 24	New York Rangers	Away	4 - 3 (OT)	OTL	73.0%	-
Sep 21	New York Rangers	Home	3 - 2	W	73.0%	-
Sep 20	New York Islanders	Home	2 - 1	W	67.2%	-
Apr 14	Boston Bruins	Away	4 - 0	L	59.3%	0.0%
Apr 12	Ottawa Senators	Home	4 - 3 (OT)	W	70.6%	0.0%
Apr 11	Detroit Red Wings	Away	3 - 5	W	14.9%	0.0%
Apr 09	Pittsburgh Penguins	Home	2 - 5	L	86.6%	0.0%

Upcoming Games

Date	Opponent	Location	Opp Strength	Exp Pts	Playoff Swing	Predicted Winner
Oct 06, 19:00	vs Utah Mammoth	Home	73.6%	0.95	2.2%	UTA (60%)
Oct 10, 15:30	vs Vancouver Canucks	Home	49.4%	1.09	2.2%	VAN (52%)
Oct 12, 19:00	vs Ottawa Senators	Home	70.6%	1.14	-	NJD (51%)
Oct 13, 18:00	@ Detroit Red Wings	Away	14.9%	0.79	-	DET (69%)
Oct 15, 19:00	vs New York Rangers	Home	73.0%	1.03	-	NYR (55%)
Oct 17, 13:00	@ Washington Capitals	Away	61.5%	0.79	-	WSH (69%)
Oct 20, 19:00	vs Colorado Avalanche	Home	82.3%	0.98	-	COL (58%)
Oct 22, 19:00	vs Anaheim Ducks	Home	72.1%	1.18	-	NJD (53%)
Oct 24, 15:30	vs Los Angeles Kings	Home	27.2%	0.92	-	LAK (62%)
Oct 27, 20:00	@ Dallas Stars	Away	12.4%	0.79	-	DAL (69%)
Averages (Next 10 games):				9.7 pts	2.2%

Expected points are calculated based on win probabilities: (2 × win%) + (0.25 × loss%) for overtime losses. Opponent strength ratings help identify which games are easier or harder opportunities to earn points.