New Jersey Devils: Reaction Week 3 NHL Power Rankings

Bleacher Report has made their NHL Power Rankings for Week 3. Where do the New Jersey Devils place through their first few games?

The New Jersey Devils aren’t off to a bad start this season, as they currently have a 2-2-1 record after five games. Considering three of their first five games were on the road, the record for the Devils isn’t too bad.

In their most recent edition of NHL Power Rankings, Bleacher Report has the Devils ranked 18th in the NHL. Below is their reasoning for placing the Devils slightly below the middle of the pack.

Taylor Hall’s overtime goal Saturday at home against Minnesota gave the Devils a 2-2-1 record through five games, despite scoring only eight goals as a team to that point. The Devils were the lowest-scoring team in the league last season (184 goals), so not much has changed.

As long as New Jersey has Cory Schneider in goal, though, the Devils will have a shot to win most every night. Hall, acquired from Edmonton, had a team-leading three goals in the first five games.

As mentioned by Bleacher Report, scoring continues to be an issue for the Devils still. Taylor Hall has scored three goals already, but there hasn’t been much help from the rest of the team. As a team, the Devils only have eight goals in five games. When three of them are from Hall, that clearly shows the need for other players to step up.

The Devils will have three games at home in the upcoming week, but the opponents will be tough. After a winnable game against the Phoenix Coyotes to start the week, the Devils will then host the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning to finish the week. If the Devils want to continue to win, they will have to improve their scoring ability this coming week.