New Jersey Devils — St. Louis Blues 5:4: result, scoring and stats

The New Jersey Devils have been one of the league's hottest teams, and they return to Prudential Center to host a St. Louis Blues side still searching for consistency on a long road trip. New Jersey has won six of its last seven and eight of its last ten, while St. Louis saw a two-game winning streak snapped in a 3-1 loss to the Rangers. The Devils are the more likely winners at 49 percent against St. Louis's 29 percent, with a 22 percent chance the teams are level after regulation. A 3:2 New Jersey lead after 60 minutes is the most likely scoreline.

New Jersey's surge has a new backbone

The Devils are 10-5-0 and have climbed the Eastern Conference standings on the back of a dramatic roster overhaul. General manager Sunny Mehta acquired Connor Hellebuyck from Winnipeg, and the three-time Vezina winner is 3-0-0 with a 1.95 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage since arriving. Jack Hughes leads the team with 19 points in 15 games and scored twice in the shootout win over Edmonton. Arseny Gritsyuk has emerged with eight goals, and the power play has improved after adjustments to the top unit.

New Jersey's depth is being tested. Stefan Noesen is out for the season with a knee injury, and Brett Pesce remains sidelined. Evan Rodrigues and Anthony Mantha have both been cleared to play after recent illness and undisclosed issues, giving coach Sheldon Keefe more options up front. The Devils have allowed 2.87 goals per game, seventh in the league, and their penalty kill at 67.6 percent remains a vulnerability.

St. Louis is grinding through a road swing

The Blues are 7-7-1 and playing the third game of a four-game road trip. They rallied for a 5-4 win over Detroit before falling to the Rangers, a game in which they generated 33 shots but went 0-for-6 on the power play and did not score until Pius Suter's goal with 57.3 seconds remaining. Coach Jim Montgomery was blunt afterward: "What's missing is our players going to hard areas consistently."

Dylan Holloway leads St. Louis with 12 points in 15 games, and Jimmy Snuggerud has a team-high eight goals. Joel Hofer made 28 saves against New York and has been the steadier of the two goaltenders. The Blues' penalty kill is seventh in the league at 84.6 percent, a clear strength, but their power play sits at 20.5 percent and has been prone to dry spells. Robert Thomas has six points in three games since returning to the lineup, a quiet but important boost.

The injury ledger favors New Jersey

St. Louis is missing significant pieces. Colton Parayko is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and has missed two straight games; Tyler Tucker is out with a knee issue; Dillon Dube is sidelined with a neck injury; and Alexei Toropchenko is expected to miss time with an upper-body problem. The Blues' blue line is thin, and Parayko's absence in particular removes their most reliable shutdown defender.

New Jersey's losses are longer-term but less disruptive to the current group. Noesen's knee injury ends his season, and Pesce's lower-body issue keeps him out. The Devils have adapted, with Dougie Hamilton and Luke Hughes absorbing more minutes and Hellebuyck providing the margin for error that the team lacked earlier in the season.

History and the tactical battle

New Jersey swept the 2025-26 season series, winning 3-2 in overtime in November and 3-1 in St. Louis in February. The Blues, however, are 4-3-2 in their last nine against the Devils and 2-1-2 in their last five visits to Prudential Center. The all-time series leans heavily toward St. Louis, but recent meetings have been close and low-scoring.

The tactical key is special teams. St. Louis's penalty kill is a strength, while New Jersey's is a weakness; if the Blues can draw penalties and convert, they can stay in the game. Conversely, the Devils' power play has found rhythm, and Hughes' line can punish a depleted St. Louis defense. The Blues will try to clog the neutral zone and generate greasy goals around the crease, while New Jersey will look to use its speed through the middle and let Hellebuyck erase mistakes.

What is at stake

For the Devils, a win would extend their strong run and keep them near the top of the Metropolitan Division. For the Blues, the game is a chance to salvage a road trip that has already produced one comeback win and one flat defeat. The chances make New Jersey the more likely winner, and a 3:2 finish after regulation is the most plausible scoreline. St. Louis's best path is disciplined, low-event hockey that leans on its penalty kill and Hofer; New Jersey's is an early lead and a power-play goal to force the Blues to open up.

Preview prepared from the match data · 5 November