The Devils have clinched a playoff spot and are likely to play the Rangers in a seven game series, but there are several chances for historic milestones before that series begins.
This has been an incredible Devils season. I say that not only in comparison to the last 10 years, but in the storied history of the Devils tenure in the Garden State, this year will go down as one of the franchise’s best. This year’s Devils have a strong chance to be the most successful regular season squad in franchise history. The Devils currently have 50 wins with three games left to play. The Devils record for wins in a season is 51, so tying and surpassing that record are both very realistic. Furthermore, the Devils have 108 points so far. The franchise record for points in a season is 111. So, if the Devils collect four out of a possible six points in the last three games of the season, they will set a new franchise record for both wins and points in a single season. Getting caught up in daily events and weekly trends can sometimes cause us as fans to miss the bigger picture. This is already one of the best regular seasons we as Devils fans have ever seen. One week from today, this could statistically be the best regular season this franchise has ever had.
With his two goals and two assists against the Blue Jackets last night, Jack Hughes brought his season point total up to 95. That total puts him just one point shy of the Devils all time record for points in a single season, currently held by Patrik Elias with 96 points in 2001. With three games left of the Devils schedule, it seems inevitable that Jack Hughes will break that record this season. It is also still possible for Jack Hughes to be the first ever Devil to score 100 points in a single season. In case you forgot, we have Jack Hughes under contract with Jersey’s Team for another SEVEN seasons.
Dougie Hamilton has already had a historic season amongst Devils defensemen. Hamilton already has a franchise record for goals by a defenseman in single season with 21. Hamilton currently has 73 points, putting him just five points behind the record, held by Scott Stevens in 1994, for most points in a season by a Devils defenseman. This has been the best year of Dougie’s career so far and has been even better than what the Devils thought they were getting when they signed Hamilton to a seven year contract in the summer of 2021.
The third best team in the NHL. Arguably the best season in franchise history. Multiple players with chances to set offensive records for the franchise. Whatever happens in the coming weeks and months with the Devils playoff run, we can’t overlook how awesome this regular season has been in the grand scheme of the existence of the New Jersey Devils. We also can’t overlook how big of an improvement this has been over every other season in the past decade. This season is still far from over with the playoffs right around the corner, but more importantly, the championship window for this core will be open for the next five years at least. Appreciate this season Devils fans because we have earned it with all the crap we had to watch for the last decade. Non Devil fans better get used to this domination because this team is young, deep, and just getting started. You can follow me on Twitter at PatBoooooth. Let’s Go Devils!!!!!
The Morning Skate 
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