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Sheldon Keefe's New Jersey Devils started the 2024-25 season strong, but shaky goaltending has contributed to a three-game skid that has the club just above .500 through 10 games.
Now 5-4-1, Keefe wants to see more out of Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen, he said after Thursday night's 5-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
“Not good enough. I think that's fair to say,” the bench boss told reporters on Friday. “But they know that. They're veteran guys, and they're working hard.”
Goaltending was a huge issue in 2023-24, and the front office hoped the issues had been mitigated by the additions of Markstorm and Allen. But in the early going, the team could certainly be getting better play from that position.
Keefe continued: “We gotta do a better job in front of them, consistently. I thought we did that last night. But if you look over the course of the season, there's things we can certainly do to help their cause for sure. This team really wants to improve. They want to build something here that's great and sustainable, but we're also showing that we're not there. We got to continue to grow as a team.”
Although Markstrom is the undisputed starter, Allen was solid for the Devils at the end of last season. He had a 6-6-1 record and .900 save percentage down the stretch after being acquired by New Jersey at the trade deadline.
Both goalies have had playing time in the early going, and each were excellent at the beginning of the year. Markstrom had a .918 save percentage through three starts — all of them wins — while Allen had a phenomenal .974 save percentage of his own through two games, per The Score's Kayla Douglas.
But things have started to go off the rails over the last week.
Devils faltering after hot start to 2024-25
Over the last three games, the Devils have been outscored 19-13 and rank 31st in team save percentage at 5-on-5, per Douglas. It's a small sample size, but certainly a cause of some concern going forward.
Markstrom really struggled on Thursday night, allowing four goals on 19 shots against the surging Red Wings. He wasn't much better his start before that, giving up six in a 6-5 overtime loss at the hands of the Washington Capitals.
Allen was between the pipes against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, and he didn't fare much better. On the second half of a back-to-back, the Bolts put eight by the veteran in the 8-5 final.
It's been a tale of two different teams in the early going, to be sure — but the Devils simply need Markstrom and Allen to be better. Although the team was better against Detroit, dictating 61.9 percent of the shot attempts and controlling 71 percent of the expected goals at five-on-five, per Douglas, it wasn't enough.
Despite the slide, New Jersey remains second in the Metropolitan Division with 11 points. They've played more games than any other NHL team, and will need to get back on track if they hope to remain ahead of the pack.
They'll look to right the ship against the New York Islanders on Friday night.
