One lesson the New Jersey Devils learned last season was how important those extra overtime points are when fighting for a spot in the playoffs.

Maturity is a word New Jersey Devils players often used last season when speaking to the media.

Playing a mature game is being poised and calm, understanding the team's systems, and trusting them. Many times last season, Devils players spoke about needing to play this way and how, at times, their lack of maturity cost them important points.

The club concluded the 2023-24 campaign with 81 points, earning a record of 38-39-5. Their 38 regulation wins were one less than the New York Islanders, who made the playoffs as the third-best team in the Metropolitan Division.

The Devils reached overtime or a shootout 10 times, earning five "loser points." Additionally, the team lost a regulation game by one goal eight times in 2023-24.

"A lot of games this season, I think if we dialed it in a little more and played a little more mature, we could have gained those extra points, "Jesper Bratt said during his exit interview. "That would have brought us a long way in the long haul."

By comparison, the Islanders earned 16 points in overtime losses, which helped secure a playoff berth. Those 16 points were tied with the Montreal Canadiens for the most overtime points in the league.

"We have to understand that in certain games, taking one point can be huge, especially going down the stretch when you're in the playoff race. Just look at the Islanders and how many points they have going into overtime. That's huge," Nico Hischier said. 

It was a valuable lesson the team ultimately learned the hard way. 

"I think understanding that and playing, if it is a tied game, not risking too much to get a late goal and lose the game," Hischier continued. "I think that's something we can definitely take (away), and that is something I learned this year as well."

A motivated Devils group, who will look to learn from last season's mistakes, will begin the 2024-25 season on Oct. 4 in Prague, Czechia, as part of the 2024 NHL Global Series. It will be the first of 13 games New Jersey plays in October, including three back-to-back sets.  

As former Devils defenseman Brendan Smith preached, getting those early season points is just as vital as securing those extra points.

"I think that it is such a hard division to make up late, so you have to get it right off the bat," Smith said in his first year with the club. "It is something that I feel with a younger team, maybe they do not realize how important those first couple of months of points are, and then you try to make it up at the end of the year, and you can be playing really good hockey, but you just don't find a way to make up the gap because everybody is trying to make that playoff push."

The Devils may have moved on from Smith and his locker room leadership this summer, but general manager Tom Fitzgerald brought in veteran players to help guide his young core. Jacob Markstrom, Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon, Stefan Nosen, and Tomas Tatar have a combined 3,223 games of experience. They can draw from their own experiences to help the Devils understand what it takes to reach the next level.

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