The New Jersey Devils' collective reaction to Matthew Tkachuk's hit on Nico Hischier was evidence of team growth as well as growth from the captain himself.

New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe shares his reasoning for putting Nathan Bastian with Jack Hughes and Ondrej Palat.

The Lightning won 4-0 in the previous matchup. TOP PERFORMERS: Nico Hischier has 19 goals and 17 assists for the Devils. Timo Meier has four goals and three assists over the last 10 games. Brayden Point has 25 goals and 22 assists for the Lightning.

NEWARK—Things are getting stale in Newark. The New Jersey Devils have now dropped four games in a row and five of their last six contests. Although they’ve done a decent job of collecting loser points along the way,

As the playoff crunch begins, one thing is certain: the top two lines for the New Jersey Devils cannot be understated. Their top-six forwards are the driving force behind the team.

On Sunday (Jan. 19), the New Jersey Devils left the ice to a chorus of boos as they dropped a ninth contest in their last 11 games. Just a few weeks ago, they were neck-and-neck with the top teams in the league.

Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe called out some of his best players after the team lost their fourth straight game.

Standing at the podium addressing the media after his team's 2-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe called out his top players. "Our best players have to be better," he said. "It is that simple. End of statement."

Matthews and Nylander both scored two goals as Toronto battled back from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits in the third period to beat New Jersey 4-3.

William Nylander scored his second goal of the game at 1:10 of overtime to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

William Nylander scored his second goal of the game at 1:10 of overtime and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the visiting New Jersey Devils 4-3 on Thursday night.

Editor’s note: This interview was originally published on Dec. 10. On Thursday, Sheldon Keefe will coach in Toronto for the first time since joining the New Jersey Devils. NEWARK, N.J. — The slogan that lines the dressing room wall of Sheldon Keefe’s New Jersey Devils team reads: Compete. Commit. Connect.