New Jersey Devils Play Instagram Hockey (& That's Not A Bad Thing) – Hockey Writers – New Jersey Devils

When the New Jersey Devils took on the New York Rangers on Dec. 2, announcer Steve Valiquette took out Jack Hughes attempting a one-handed deke against Igor Shesterkin during a breakaway.

Valiquette said, “Hughes is out to embarrass Shesterkin there…that's blatant disrespect…

Hughes was disappointed when he found this out, saying, “I don't even know what that means. What does that even mean?”

Since then, the Devils are 4-1-1 and sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division with a 20-10-3 record. That got me thinking, what exactly is “Instagram Hockey?”

What is Instagram Hockey?

Valiquette has not addressed those comments since, despite widespread backlash from NHL fans, analysts and former players. So maybe we'll never know. But what about me do know that lately, whenever I scroll through Instagram, I see a lot of the best pictures of the Devil. From the NHL's official Instagram, to ESPN, to Bleacher Report…they're everywhere. Jack Hughes highlight here, Jesper Bratt highlight there – you get the point.

We will watch it over and over again. pic.twitter.com/tcKjBrT1dt

– New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) December 14, 2024

They currently have seven players in the 17-plus goal scoring range, with five of them running at 25-plus. And that's all while new coach Sheldon Keefe completely revamped their defensive game, reducing the average goals against (per 60 minutes) by over 20%.

Keefe helped end nearly all of last season's bad habits. Of late, they have been off to a poor start and have conceded the first goal of the competition in nine out of 10 tries. Keefe addressed it directly, and the Devils have now given up 1.3 shots in the first period over the past three games. Yes, you read that right. That's it a gunnot goals.

“I like where we defended…we were Swiss cheese, allowing teams to pass. Now we want more,” said general manager Tom Fitzgerald.

And they accomplished this defensive feat while maintaining the sixth-best goals-against goal per 60 minutes, according to JFresh Hockey. And that's just power; their power play is second in the NHL at 30%. So plenty of best and winning photos are posted on people's Instagram timelines.

Related: Devils' Keefe & Hischier Talk About Brett Pesce's Importance

“It's really easy to play and fun to watch,” Luke Hughes said Hockey Writers.

Sure, it didn't go well, but the Devils are a top-five team in the NHL based on scoring percentage. The overall vibe has completely changed since last season, and that is clearly reflected in the team's training. There is always laughter, celebration, and joy…but don't mistake that for a lack of hard work. They work as hard as ever.

He likes to see such high vibes. This was one of my favorites #NJDevils habits to watch. pic.twitter.com/vrqppLb8xu

— Kristy Flannery (@InStilettos_NHL) December 16, 2024

What we're seeing in New Jersey is what happens when a team sees their hard work pay off. They are less relaxed, happier, and we can imagine that it makes the daily grind a lot easier.

“I think we feel and expect to be a playoff team, and we have to continue to work on that and get that every day,” Keefe said.

With this level of success, it's getting to the point where it would be a disaster if they saw it he didn't make the playoffs. Of course, sports are weird and anything can happen. But there seems to be something special brewing in Newark. Time will tell.