Jacob Markstrom was not at his best, once again. This has become a familiar sight for the New Jersey Devils during their 2025-26 season. However, what is unexpected is the underwhelming performance of the Nico Hischier line. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what occurred in the Devils’ 4-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken.

The Devils’ three-game winning streak came to an end. Entering Sunday, the team had won five of their last six games. One of those victories was against the Kraken when the Devils hosted them at the Prudential Center just 11 days ago.

However, in the Climate Pledge Arena, the Kraken managed to secure their first regulation win against the Devils in their five-year history.

This game was one that New Jersey likely should have won.

Let’s take a closer look at some key observations from the match.

Key Observations

With the Devils leading 1-0, Ryker Evans tied the game with a shot that had only a 1.3% chance of being scored. That’s incredibly low! The goal came off a redirected shot by Johnathan Kovacevic. While it was a favorable bounce, Markstrom seemed to track the puck but let it slip past him anyway. Then there was the Matty Beniers goal, which might have been even more questionable. Beniers skated from the left to the right circle with the puck on his backhand and found the net. Markstrom struggled to move quickly in the butterfly position, and this goal had a 1.2% chance of being scored.

Overall, Markstrom allowed 2.6 saves above expected, and that was the difference in the game.

Markstrom’s performance was clearly subpar. However, if the Devils’ top lines had played better in front of him, some of those Kraken chances might not have even happened. The Hischier line was particularly weak on Sunday. Collectively, Hischier, Dawson Mercer, and Ondrej Palat recorded a 6.86 xGF% and a 0-3 scoring chance differential. The second line was the worst-performing unit for the Devils all night, which is unacceptable for a team aiming to return to the playoffs.

On the positive side, the Cody Glass line delivered another strong performance. They didn’t score a goal for the first time in two games, but they still managed a 9-3 scoring chance differential, a 2-1 advantage in high-danger chances, and a 71.91 xGF%. Glass and Arseny Gritsyuk continue to be reliable contributors, with individual scoring differentials of 13-3 and 12-3, respectively. Lenni Hämeenaho also put up a personal 10-6 scoring chance differential. This level of performance is becoming more routine than a trend.

Dougie Hamilton continues to shine since being benched. He scored his first goal in 10 games, fired five shots on net, and recorded an 8-0 scoring chance differential. He came into the game on a seven-game point streak with eight assists. Now, he’s finding the back of the net. At this point, trade discussions involving Hamilton have cooled down. If the Devils decide to move him, it would likely require a significant return.

Sheldon Keefe pointed out the issue: “We don’t score enough or generate enough at 5-on-5 to be able to absorb some of the way we defended on the first two goals. Their first two just can’t defend like that to allow pucks to get at our net and people to get at our net. That’s on us… You score two power play goals in the game; you should win it every single time. So that is disappointing.”

It’s true that the Devils’ defense struggled and Markstrom was poor in goal. However, the focus should be on the first part of Keefe’s statement. The Devils simply don’t score enough! This makes the urgency—or lack thereof—to move Hamilton even more intriguing. GM Tom Fitzgerald now needs to find a legitimate shooter through other means. The Devils are desperate for a player who can consistently score and potentially displace Palat from the top six.

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