This season, I am going to take a page out of the Edmonton Oilers' playbook.
Earlier this month, in a conversation with New Jersey Devils winger Connor Brown, I learned how the Oilers segment and analyze their games throughout a season.
"In Edmonton, we would do it seven games at a time," Brown said. "We broke down the season into 11 seven-game assessments and one five-game (evaluation). That is the way that I have done it in the past."
Well, the Devils are seven games into the 2025-26 campaign and are at the top of the NHL standings with a 6-1-0 record. Their 12 points are tied for second-best in the League behind the Colorado Avalanche.
While New Jersey's record is impressive, head coach Sheldon Keefe pulled an Alexis Rose at his media availability on Monday, bringing the local media back down to earth for a second when asked about his team's developing maturity.
"I know media needs stuff to talk about and ask me about, but we played five games here," he said. "You can't make any proclamations, positive or negative, any of that kind of stuff. It is way too early. Yeah, I like how we handled different situations that have come up in games - whether it is early penatly kills, not letting the other team get life, or scoring early and getting the lead. All those are positive signs, but there are 77 (games) left.
"We did not play very well against the Oilers, quite frankly," Keefe continued. "There are so many things we can do way better, and we need to do way better. It is one thing to win games in the early going in October when teams are trying to find themselves, but we are trying to build something sustainable. In order to do that, we have to play a lot better."
To Keefe's point, the Devils' ability to find a variety of ways to win has been the biggest standout as the club continues to iron out the details of their game and solidify their identity.
"That is what I really liked about this stretch we put together," Keefe said. "We have done it on the road, at home, on a back-to-back. We have had three different goaltenders and lots of different things happening. We mix the lines up (against Minnesota) with Mercer playing center. All that stuff hasn't phased us. The guys have just stayed with it."
One of the biggest reasons for the Devils early success is special teams, which have been dominant against every opponent.
New Jersey's penalty kill has been outstanding, killing 21 straight and 24 for 25 on the season overall (96%). Keefe recently said they wanted a different voice on the backend with the defensive group, which led to the addition of assistant coach Brad Shaw, who has brought a wealth of experience to the Devils.
The power play has been just as dangerous, as the Devils rank third in the NHL in power-play percentage. For the first time since Nov. 25 - Dec. 5, 2023, New Jersey has scored a power play goal in five consecutive games, dating back to their contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
It is important to note that Keefe said he will make changes to his power play personnel depending on his opponent, swapping Dawson Mercer and Timo Meier, or Luke Hughes and Dougie Hamilton, between the first and second units.
"We have really looked at it and kind of studied it," Keefe said. "(Assistant coach Jeremy Colliton) has done a lot of work in this area, looking at different styles of penalty kills and how we can attack them.
"We think we have more than five options for one power play unit to be a very lethal unit," he continued. "It is on us as coaches to manage the personnel, move them in and out appropriately, to try to match the skill sets of what we think might work with how teams are killing. We are at a place in the NHL now where there are some stark differences from how you see teams killing around the league. As a result, you have to practice a little bit differently. You have to plan a little bit differently if you want to be consistent and find success, rather than just throwing the same guys over and trying to make it work. We think because of the skill sets that we have and the depth that we have, we can try some different things and give teams different looks."
Both units have been effective in contributing to the scoresheet, leading to another noticeable pattern through the first seven games: the Devils are getting scoring throughout their lineup.
It is no surprise to see Jesper Bratt with a team-leading 11 points, starting the season on a seven-game point streak. It should not be a shock to see a healthy Jack Hughes celebrate another career hat trick. However, some statistics will catch your eye.
Veteran defenseman Brenden Dillon has goals in back-to-back games and four points in seven. Brown has three goals and has instantly improved the team's bottom-six, along with Arseny Gritsyuk, who has five points.
With the exception of Brian Halonen, every Devils skater who has appeared in more than one game has earned at least a point through seven games. While Bratt and Hughes have led New Jersey's offense, the club has not been as dependent on the duo as in past years.
While it is a small sample size, there is reason to be optimistic that the Devils are in a position to take the next step fans have been hoping for, but Brown knows the first 10-15 games of the season may not mean much in the scheme of things.
"It definitely makes it a lot more comfortable if you get off to a hot start," Brown said. "That being said, two years ago, when I was in Edmonton, I think we were dead last in the league 13 games in, and we went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. You try not to get too high or too low. It is important to be getting better. I think that would be the biggest thing, getting better throughout the season."
The challenges of the October schedule continue as the Devils play the Colorado Avalanche twice and head out on their California road trip to kick off November.
But first, New Jersey will host the San Jose Sharks on Friday night at Prudential Center.
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