Tuesday night's game exposed the New Jersey Devils' weaknesses. The Winnipeg Jets played above their weight, a team on a mission with an energized crowd behind them. That said, the power play went 0-4, and a depleted roster ran out of steam in a 4-2 loss. 

The question is: how concerning are the Devils' issues? Every team has a weakness to address, and even with the loss, the Devils have played well. They have a 13-6 record and sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division.  

It’s why the issues, while noticeable, haven’t weighed them down, at least not yet. It’s also why the Devils must be proactive and not reactive in addressing the weaknesses, especially with head coach Sheldon Keefe, who is known for his adjustments.

With a 0-4 power play on Tuesday, the Devils are 11-61 on the season. Their 18.03% on the man advantage is 26th in the NHL. The oddity is that the power play has been a strength in the past, and now it’s weighing them down and costing them games. 

The Devils also have the players in the lineup to have a great power play. Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Arseny Gritsyuk have the skill to set up scoring chances, while Nico Hischier gets to the net front and finishes scoring chances. 

Hischier has been one of the bright spots on the power play, scoring five of the Devils’ 11 goals this season on the advantage. However, he speaks to one of the issues the team has had early on. Aside from Hischier, the Devils lack a finishing presence and forwards who can get to the net and net those dirty-area goals. “We need to get better there. I think everybody knows that, and that’s why we’re trying to put the work in,” Hischier stated after the Oct. 9 practice, when the team focused on their power play and their finishing. 

The Devils have also had issues with their skilled forwards. Whether it’s Hughes or another puck-handler, they pass the puck to the net and don’t shoot it. Likewise, they’ll hold the puck or look for the extra pass when the best play is a shot that creates chaos in the net front. 

One fix, or something Keefe can adjust, is the defenseman at the point. Dougie Hamilton is playing more on the top power-play unit to give it a different look, while Luke Hughes, who has six goals and five assists, only has two assists on the power play. The blue line can drive the play and set everything up for the forwards and turn the unit around, something the Devils hope happens. 

Anthony Mantha will miss some time with an injury. He took a stick to the throat in Saturday’s game against the New Jersey Devils and hasn’t played since. The Devils played with 11 forwards and seven defensemen in the past two games and called up Riley Tufte from the American Hockey League as a reinforcement. 

Then Johnathan Kovacevic suffered a lower-body injury in the game against the Jets. While the Devils had the extra defenseman in the game, Kovacevic was one of the Devils' better shutdown defensemen, and missing him for a significant time will hurt the defense. 

Both injuries weighed on the Devils against the Jets. The lack of depth and the 11 forwards taking on more ice time wore them down, and by the third period, they ran out of steam. Likewise, Kovacevic protects the net and cleans up pucks in high-danger areas. The Devils didn’t have a response against the Jets and hope the depth, which has been a strength so far, doesn’t become a weakness. 

The Devils have seen this script before. They’ve gotten off to hot starts, but the injuries take their toll on them. The Devils have been fortunate that none of their top-end talent has missed games to injury. However, they must prepare for the possibility, and it starts with preparation behind the bench. 

Great teams and great coaches spot problems and address them before they become problems. The Devils have been one of the best teams in the league, and on the surface, they look like a team that can cruise to a great season.

Keefe knows better. He’s seen the Devils start seasons on fire and look unbeatable only to underachieve by the end of the season. “My first year here, we set an NHL record; we had seven games consecutively where we gave up 20 shots or less,” he noted after the Oct. 22 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Keefe also knows what the problems are that must be addressed. 

It’s why Keefe hasn’t overreacted to the hot start. While the team is different and has a higher ceiling, he knows it’s a long season, and adjustments must happen. Keefe has addressed the power play since the start of the season and now must focus on how the Devils will play with a short bench. 

The past game specifically also required a proactive coach. The noise heading into the game and the questions about starting Jake Allen over Connor Hellebuyck can become a distraction. The Devils entered that game on a five-game winning streak, and that loss can turn the tide and decrease their end-of-season win probability. Keefe will want to put that game in the past and move quickly to the pivotal stretch ahead, which features a home-and-home matchup against the Washington Capitals and a home game against the Montreal Canadiens, three tough games that the Devils must come into prepared. 

The Devils' general manager, Sunny Mehta, has already made his mark in his first season running the front office. He was active in the offseason and made the big move to acquire Hellebuyck. 

The Hellebuyck move was proactive, since the goaltending was playing well at the time of the move. However, Mehta saw the unit the Devils had and knew they needed a go-to number-one goaltender to lean on. 

Likewise, Mehta was proactive this summer when it came to addressing the Devils' lack of depth, something that was an issue in the past. He acquired multiple forwards to give the team four forward lines that can come at teams and, likewise, added an extra defenseman. 

The Kovacevic injury isn’t a significant blow because Declan Chisholm, who was acquired in the offseason, can fill in as the third-pair defenseman. The Mantha injury isn’t as costly with Riley Tufte in the system, another power forward who can play his role on the wing. 

Mehta wanted to turn the Devils into a team that doesn’t fall apart if the injuries pile up. That team is being put to the test. It’s also a reminder that another move or two might be needed to keep the Devils at the top of the standings. “We’re never done,” Mehta stated prominently at Hellebuyck’s introductory press conference.