The New Jersey Devils are a Stanley Cup contender once again in 2024-25. Sheldon Keefe has made an impact in his first season as head coach. For instance, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt have become dominant forces in this league. However, it is not all sunshine and rainbows in New Jersey.

New Jersey has lost each of its last four games. Moreover, they have lost nine of their last 11 games. One loss saw the Devils fall in Keefe's return to Toronto against the Maple Leafs, his former team. Their latest loss came on Sunday night against the Ottawa Senators. In three of these losses, the Devils have scored just one goal. As a result, Keefe is looking for his best players to step up.

“Our best players have to be better. It's that simple. End of statement,” the Devils head coach said, via Sportsnet, following New Jersey's loss to the Senators on Sunday night.

Sheldon Keefe believes Devils' elite players have more to give

New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe gestures as he speaks to his players in the first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.
Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Sheldon Keefe did not name names when calling out star players on Sunday night. And that's likely due to the fact that across the board, the team's offensive leaders have struggled. Jack Hughes has three points in these four games, but all those points came in one game. Moreover, Jesper Bratt has one assist.

Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Dougie Hamilton, and Stefan Noesen have also struggled. In fact, only one of the team's top eight-point scorers have recorded a point in the last two games. Luke Hughes recorded an assist on Sunday against the Senators.

“I met with those guys today before the game. There are some things structurally they can do better, and I thought they were better certainly in the first period in that area. That's part of it. The other part of it is that they've got to execute,” Keefe said, via Sportsnet, after the loss to Ottawa.

Keefe is certainly not giving up on his players. These players have reached the high levels they've reached for a reason. Eventually, New Jersey will get back on track, in Keefe's mind. But they need their star players to lead that charge back to successful hockey.

“These are elite, elite players. There's times when there's pucks available, plays available, shots available that they're just not converting right now, but they will. It'll come back around,” Keefe said, via Sportsnet.

All this team needs is a couple of wins to gain their confidence back. And they have a chance to get a win on home ice in their next game. The Devils play host to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday with puck drop scheduled for 7 PM Eastern Time.