Does the Perfect Game Exist? Devils Players Reveal How Often They Have 100 Percent Performance

Out of an 82-game schedule, how many games can a player look back on and say this was a perfect game?

Every October, the New Jersey Devils begin an 82-game season with aspirations of winning it all in June. Team goals are set in addition to individual ones as players play for more than the Stanley Cup, whether it's more ice time or contracts.

It raises the question: Out of an 82-game schedule, how many games can a player look back on and say, "This was a perfect game?"

Mental skills coach and adviser Andy Swärd works with various types of athletes, including NHL and Swedish Hockey League players. He recently shared what he has learned from his clients.

"The most common answer I get from prospective clients before our work begins usually lies somewhere between three to six individual performances with a feeling of 100 percent performance, regardless of sport orientation and number of (games)," he said.

Throughout the 2023-24 season, Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News found out if Devils players agreed with Swärd's statistic.

"It might be less," Brendan Smith said with a laugh.

"Last year, I played 60-something games," he said, "I can remember maybe two games that I really felt were as close as I could get to perfection."

The veteran continued to explain that even if a player can reach that elusive level of perfection, that performance needs to be put in the rearview mirror once the final horn sounds.

"You know that the next game is going to be more difficult," he said. "You're going to be put into tougher situations, and you have to strive for that."

Understanding all the small details that go into a 60-minute game, Youngster Alexander Holtz believes a player never really has that perfect game.

"You never really have that 100 percent performance," he said. "You always want to have something that is better. (You can) have two goals in one game, but there are still some areas you think you can do better."

"I think that everybody is striving for the perfect game, (but) what is the perfect game? It is so hard to strive for because perfection is basically unattainable," Smith said.

Erik Haula agrees that it is probably between three and six games because there is always an area that can be improved. He continued to say there is no such thing as a perfect game unless you are talking about a goaltender.

"It (really) depends on who you ask. If you ask me or if you ask Jack Hughes, his 100 percent is going to be totally different than my 100 percent," Haula said. "Everyone is different."

"I am 100 percent happy when we win."

Between scoring goals, making tape-to-tape passes, winning board battles, faceoffs, and blocking shots, there is always something that can be improved. For this reason, it is rare for a player to have that highly coveted perfect performance.  

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