The New Jersey Devils return to Prudential Center on Thursday night carrying far more than a box score into their matchup with the New York Islanders. With the calendar turning toward the stretch run and the standings tightening around the Eastern Conference wild-card picture, this game has become a snapshot of where the franchise stands right now and how fragile the margin for error has become.

New Jersey enters the night at 28-26-2, still within reach but increasingly squeezed by inconsistency, injuries, and a style of play that has failed to translate skill into sustained offense. The Devils are coming off a discouraging 3-0 home loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, a game that exposed the same issues that have quietly followed this roster for weeks: stagnant puck movement, an ineffective power play, and an alarming inability to elevate their play when the pressure is highest.

The most glaring absence remains Jack Hughes. Without their dynamic centerpiece in the lineup, the Devils’ offensive identity has flattened. What was once a team built around speed through the middle of the ice and aggressive puck retrieval has drifted into a perimeter-based attack that struggles to create interior chances or chaos in front of opposing goaltenders. For a club designed around pace and creativity, the current version feels cautious and reactive.

The frustration surrounding the Blue Jackets loss was not rooted in being outclassed. It came from watching a winnable game slowly slip away in a building that should be a clear home-ice advantage. For long stretches, the Devils controlled early possession and limited Columbus’ looks, but their inability to convert opportunities and sustain pressure set the stage for a familiar late collapse.

Jacob Markstrom once again kept the game within reach. His first period was calm and controlled, including an early moment of controversy when Columbus appeared to score on a chaotic crease scramble. The goal was overturned following a coach’s challenge, offering New Jersey an early lifeline. Instead of building momentum, however, the Devils struggled to generate anything resembling offensive rhythm. Their second shot on goal did not arrive until more than twelve minutes into the opening frame, a troubling statistic for a team that prides itself on tempo.

Timo Meier provided one of the few dangerous looks of the period with a glove-side attempt that produced a rebound, but no Devil arrived with urgency to capitalize. Simon Nemec later rang a shot off the post after a sharp setup from Jesper Bratt, a sequence that briefly hinted at what this roster is still capable of when it attacks with purpose.

That glimpse never fully materialized.

The Devils’ power play, already a point of concern for weeks, once again failed to generate momentum. Even with elite offensive personnel available, entries were disorganized, puck movement remained slow, and shooting lanes were predictable. A late first-period opportunity produced only a single clean look, and even that chance never forced Columbus’ goaltender into sustained difficulty.

The second period mirrored the first, but with less energy and far more defensive zone time. New Jersey struggled to exit cleanly, frequently resorting to soft clears and uncontrolled flips into neutral ice. While the Blue Jackets were not overwhelming in volume, the Devils were forced to defend for extended sequences, burning valuable energy and preventing any real offensive flow.

The most alarming stretch came during another power play that looked completely disconnected. Columbus generated as many dangerous rushes as New Jersey managed shots, reinforcing a growing concern that the Devils’ man advantage has become more of a liability than a weapon. Even when New Jersey found its best chance of the night on a rush attempt from Connor Brown, the release came a fraction too late, and the play evaporated.

By the time the game reached the third period scoreless, it felt less like opportunity and more like a warning. This season, tied games late have not been a comfort zone for the Devils.

That pattern continued.

An early third-period power play failed to produce traction, and moments later a defensive breakdown sent Columbus in alone. Although New Jersey escaped that sequence without damage, the shift in momentum was unmistakable. The Devils began to chase the game rather than dictate it.

The breakthrough came on a perimeter shot that found its way through traffic and past Markstrom, a goal that symbolized the night. It was not a defensive collapse as much as a momentary lapse in structure and awareness, the type of mistake that often defines games when teams struggle to manufacture offense.

The second goal arrived quickly after, off a transition sequence where New Jersey lost inside positioning and failed to recover. Down 2-0, the Devils finally showed desperation, pulling their goaltender with nearly five minutes remaining. What followed was extended six-on-five possession without real danger, capped by a turnover at the blue line and a broken-stick infraction that resulted in an automatic penalty goal and sealed the 3-0 loss.

The underlying numbers only deepen the concern. New Jersey controlled play early but steadily lost territorial advantage as the game wore on, particularly in the third period when urgency should have favored the home team. Instead, the Devils were hemmed in, outworked on retrievals, and unable to reset their offensive structure once Columbus established its defensive shell.

This has become a troubling trend.

Across multiple recent games, New Jersey has struggled to generate sustained five-on-five offense late. When trailing or tied entering the third period, their ability to create meaningful pressure has fallen off sharply. The visual evidence matches the data. Zone time shrinks, shot quality deteriorates, and far too many possessions end along the boards without a second layer of support arriving in the slot.

Coaching decisions are now firmly under the microscope. The Devils’ offensive system has become rigid, with limited motion below the goal line and little use of low-to-high rotations that could open shooting lanes for mobile defenders. Too often, the attack stalls along the perimeter before a hopeful wrist shot is funneled into traffic.

For a roster built around high-skill forwards and mobile blue-liners, the absence of deception and pace is striking. Players like Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Dougie Hamilton should be able to stress defensive coverage. Instead, the structure places heavy emphasis on control rather than creativity, producing long shifts that drain energy without creating danger.

The power play, in particular, has become one of the defining weaknesses of the Devils’ second half. Since early December, New Jersey has converted at a rate well below league standards despite continuing to dress elite offensive talent. Zone entries remain inconsistent, puck support on retrievals is late, and shooting threats are easily anticipated. In today’s NHL, where special teams frequently swing playoff races, that inefficiency is no longer survivable.

There is also a growing sense that younger, more aggressive players may be needed to inject life into a lineup that has become predictable. Arseny Gritsyuk has shown flashes of creativity and willingness to attack the middle of the ice, a quality that has been otherwise scarce. With the Olympic break approaching, roster evaluation will become unavoidable.

Veteran depth forwards have struggled to produce, and their impact at five-on-five has diminished. The Devils’ bottom-six rotation has not consistently tilted the ice or relieved pressure when the top lines are neutralized. For a team fighting to remain relevant in the playoff conversation, the lack of secondary scoring and forechecking presence has become a significant obstacle.

The Islanders now arrive in Newark as a very different kind of test. Structured, patient, and comfortable playing low-event hockey, they represent exactly the type of opponent that has frustrated New Jersey this season. For the Devils to reverse the narrative, they will need more than improved execution. They will need to rediscover a willingness to attack uncomfortable areas of the ice, commit to faster puck movement, and accept the risk that comes with aggressive offensive play.

There is still talent here. There is still a foundation capable of producing meaningful hockey in March and April. But the margin is shrinking, and the room for stylistic stubbornness has disappeared.

For fans tracking every shift, every lineup decision, and every ripple in the standings, the urgency surrounding this stretch is unmistakable. Anyone following the broader storylines surrounding the club this season through Explore New Jersey’s dedicated New Jersey Devils coverage understands just how pivotal the next few weeks will be in determining whether this year becomes a missed opportunity or the start of a late resurgence.

Thursday night is not simply another home game.

It is a test of adaptability, leadership, and belief.

If the Devils are going to salvage momentum in a season drifting toward frustration, the response must begin now, on their own ice, against a divisional opponent built to punish hesitation.