The New Jersey Devils had been flying high through October until everything came crashing down in San Jose. On Thursday night, they were outworked, outskated, and outplayed, falling 5-2 to the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center.
Are the NJ Devils Losing Their Edge After Falling to the San Jose Sharks?
Afterward, head coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t sugarcoat it. “That was not it,” he said flatly. “You cannot win in the National Hockey League with that as the baseline. That’s unacceptable & once again you get what you deserve.”
#NJDevils HC Keefe with some strong words:
“That was not it. That’s not the way you can work, compete, & the urgency you need to have defensively. You cannot win in the National Hockey League with that as the baseline. That’s unacceptable & once again you get what you deserve.”
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) October 31, 2025
It was the Devils’ second straight loss and easily their most frustrating of the season. For the Sharks, it was a statement night with their first home win after five tries, and one they earned with pure hustle.
The tone was set right from the opening shift. Just 42 seconds in, William Eklund pounced on a turnover and slipped the puck past Jake Allen. Before the Devils could reset, Philipp Kurashev doubled the lead midway through the period. Then, on a deflection, Alex Wennberg, in his 800th career game, made it 3-0.
New Jersey briefly pushed back late in the first when Dawson Mercer redirected a Jack Hughes shot on the power play. But whatever momentum they had quickly evaporated.
The Sharks kept coming. Will Smith buried his own rebound off a pass from Macklin Celebrini to make it 4-1, and minutes later, Tyler Toffoli’s tip pushed the game out of reach. Mercer added another in the third, but by then, it was academic.
San Jose’s Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 29 of 31 shots, while Allen turned away 23 at the other end.
Keefe Sends a Message
Keefe didn’t hold back when asked what went wrong. “We’re just not there. And that’s individuals,” he said. “If we want to be a serious hockey team, we’ve got to do these things better, or we don’t have a chance to compete with the best,” Keefe added.
This performance followed an 8-4 loss in Colorado earlier in the week, another game where the Devils started flat and never recovered. The trend, Keefe hinted, is what’s really troubling.
He also suggested the team’s early wins might have hidden deeper flaws. “We got away with some things in the early goings of the season,” he said.
“But the reality of the league is it’s hard. If you don’t embrace hard things, it opens you up to be able to lose on any night to any team,” he added.
For San Jose, the win was a sign things might finally be turning. Eklund, Wennberg, and Kurashev each picked up multiple points. Celebrini extended his point streak to six games, while Smith’s goal and assist showed why the Sharks are high on him.
The Devils head to Los Angeles on Saturday looking for a reset, while the Sharks host Colorado in hopes of building on this momentum.
It’s still early, but Keefe’s words cut deep as talent can win you games, but accountability keeps you there.
