The New Jersey Devils nearly collapsed against the St. Louis Blues. They led 4-1 in the third period but allowed three unanswered goals, sending the game to overtime. The Blues had all the momentum and a comeback in the works. 

It’s the type of game that the Devils weren’t happy with, and they knew it. They were overconfident and played loose at the end, thinking another home win was in the works. A few defensive breakdowns let the Blues back in. “We weren't really emotionally engaged in that third period. We didn't get pucks out; we were cheating a bit when they stayed in the zone,” Jesper Bratt stated after the game. 

Yet, the Devils still ended up on the winning side. In three-on-three overtime, Dougie Hamilton forced a turnover, sent the puck up the ice to spring Jesper Bratt open for a game-winning breakaway goal. The Devils were tested and not only recovered but showed there’s another layer to this team. There’s more character in this group to rebound after allowing three unanswered goals and still come away with a win. 

With a 4-1 lead, the Devils were in control and outplaying the Blues. However, with comfortable leads comes confidence, sometimes too much confidence. The Devils, after overwhelming the Blues through two periods, tried to run up the score, and it cost them. “We just started making it up and tried to see how cool we could be,” head coach Sheldon Keefe stated after the win. 

The Devils closed out games in the past with their chip-and-chase, forecheck, and defense, daring the opponent to skate the full length of the ice for goals. Against the Blues, they were looking for a few extra goals. 

The defense also drifted away from the style of play that helped build the 4-1 lead. Instead of controlling the puck and moving it out of the defensive zone, they chipped it and gave the Blues more possession as a result. “We just got a little bit off of our game. We were playing a little too defensively, chipping pucks out and not really sustaining pressure,” Connor Hellebuyck added afterwards.

These games are lessons for the Devils, a team that hopes to prove they are contenders this season. To do so, they must take games like these and come back stronger. “Everyone’s learning in this locker room, and lucky for us, we came out on top,” Anthony Mantha stated after the win. 

When teams bend, they don’t want to break. However, when they lose momentum, it’s hard to regroup and come out with the win. The Montreal Canadiens learned this firsthand earlier in the week, blowing a 4-0 lead to the Winnipeg Jets in the final four minutes and losing 5-4 in overtime. 

The Devils squandered the 4-1 lead and not only regrouped to force overtime but won it as well. In the past, the Devils wouldn’t hold on and win these games, but they are a different group this season. They can turn the page and find their game to win games. 

It’s not the first time this season they’ve rebounded. They’ve bounced back from rough losses, whether it was the 4-2 loss on Oct. 17 to the Washington Capitals or the 5-2 loss on Oct. 28 to the Colorado Avalanche. The recent game is also not the first time that the Devils lost the grip on the game yet recovered and won. The Nov. 3 game against the Edmonton Oilers saw them blow a 3-1 lead, and they still managed to win 4-3 in the shootout. 

The Devils have a bend-but-don’t-break mentality, but also know what it takes to win and play that way. “We dictate a lot of our play; it's our game, and we really take it to teams. When we bring our game and stick to it, we're going to get a lot of positive results,” Hellebuyck mentioned after the win over the Blues. With an 11-5 record, the Devils know what winning hockey looks like, and they are still working to play that way every night. “We're just a group that continues to learn. The recipe for us to win games is right there for us. I think there's no shortcuts,” Bratt added afterwards. 

The Devils wrapped up a brief homestand with two wins, albeit two close calls that required overtime. Up next is a difficult road trip, another trip that will test this team. It starts with a road game against the New York Islanders on Nov. 7. The Islanders defeated the Devils 6-0 on Oct. 3 at UBS Arena and haven’t lost to their divisional rival since Nov. 9, 2024 (they’ve outscored them 17-1 in the last three matchups). 

Then the Devils face the Toronto Maple Leafs as the second game on a back-to-back. The road trip wraps up on Nov. 10 with a matchup against the Winnipeg Jets in Hellebuyck’s much-anticipated return. 

What’s the message heading into this road trip? “Nothing changes. Just get back to our game and keep playing a good brand of hockey,” defenseman Luke Hughes stated after the recent win. 

For the Devils, the key is getting back to the style that made them successful. It’s the structure on the defensive end and the focus for all three periods. It helped them on the latest road trip, where they went 2-1 and defeated the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights. Now, the Devils are hoping it results in another successful three-game trip.