Down the stretch, the Devils played much better hockey to come frustratingly close to the postseason. However, they couldn’t overcome a lousy winter that turned a promising start into fool’s gold.

After going out on home ice with a very satisfying overtime win over the Senators on a Nico Hischier winner, the Devils ended a disappointing season on a bitter note in a 4-0 loss to the playoff bound Bruins in Boston.

This one was over fast. With the Bruins opting to ice most of their starting lineup so they could avoid facing the Hurricanes in the first round, they made quick work of the Devils. A four-goal first period barrage helped them finish fourth in the Atlantic Division. They’ll draw the division champion Sabres later this week when the playoffs begin.

Before a minute elapsed, Morgan Geekie took a David Pastrnak feed and buried a one-timer past Nico Daws for a 1-0 Boston lead. Geekie was left uncontested by Dougie Hamilton for his 39th. The primary assist gave Pastrnak 100 points for the fourth consecutive season. He became the first Bruins player to do it since Bruins legends Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito (1970-71 thru 1974-75).

Mark Kastelic scored the first of two when he was left open to receive a Tanner Jeannot pass and beat Daws to make it 2-0. It didn’t get any better for the Devils.

Trailing by two late in the period, they fell apart. A coverage breakdown allowed Kastelic to get his second from Sean Kuraly and Mason Lohrei at 17:42. A Jack Hughes turnover led to Lohrei and Kuraly combining to set up Kastelic, who had too much room in the slot.

Both Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler were victimized on the goal. They each ended the season poorly by finishing minus-3 in the final game.

The Bruins’ fourth and final goal came with less than eight seconds left in the period. On a faceoff win, former Devil Pavel Zacha found Viktor Arvidsson wide open for a tap in to put the Devils down by four.

Zacha concluded his best season with a career best 30 goals and 35 assists for 65 points to lead all Bruins centers in scoring.  He exited the game early due to a family matter.

By then, the game was decided. The Devils mustered only 11 combined shots over the final two periods after getting 10 on Jeremy Swayman in the first.

It was an uninspired effort. They were guilty of 25 giveaways. Fourteen different skaters turned the puck over. Daws also had a giveaway to make it 15 of 19 players.

Hughes and Jesper Bratt didn’t have a good night. Both were credited with four giveaways and finished a combined minus-3 with only two shots, which both came from Hughes.

The Devils’ best player, Hughes led them in scoring with 77 points in 61 games. His strong finish helped turn things around after the Olympics. Hughes finished the last 25 games with 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points. His dominance sparked Bratt, who rallied for 30 points over the same span to finish second behind Hughes with 71 points.

Hischier was third with 66 points. In the last game of the season, he became the only player to take over to win over 1,000 faceoffs in 2025-26. One of the best centers when it comes to winning draws, he went 10-and-12 to conclude with a 55.7 success rate.

The Devils captain is eligible for an extension this July. It’ll be a crucial decision for the organization moving forward. Even in a down year, the 27-year-old Hischier remains a good two-way forward who is counted on by head coach Sheldon Keefe to draw most of the toughest assignments.

When asked afterward what his goal is, he made it perfectly clear.

“We are not getting younger. It sucks, it sucks to be out of the playoffs. Obviously, the ultimate goal is, for me, winning a Cup in New Jersey, and we are not giving ourselves a chance this year,” he told Amanda Stein.

In the Devils postgame on MSG, Hughes was very honest in his assessment when speaking with Rachel Herzog and Bryce Salvador.

Hughes mentioned how every team has injuries. On some nights, you have to find different ways to win games. He sounded very hungry and motivated for the off-season.

For the Devils, it comes down to improving the scoring depth. Outside of Cody Glass and Connor Brown, most of the supporting cast underperformed. That includes the very streaky Timo Meier, who finished with 24 goals and 44 points. Hardly the kind of production needed from their highest paid forward.

Dawson Mercer started off strong and finished well to reach 20 goals for the third time in his career. Since posting a career-high 56 points in 2022-23, Mercer hasn’t found that level. A solid two-way player, it’ll be interesting to see what happens with him this summer. Does the new boss hang onto him or try to dangle him in a trade?

Arseny Gritsyuk showed some promise in his first season after coming over from the KHL. He had 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points in 66 games. He’ll have surgery due to an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old is the one younger forward capable of playing in the top six.

Defensively, the Devils weren’t good enough this season. Hamilton sulked in the first half due to having his name mentioned in a trade rumor. After Keefe sat him out in late December, Hamilton decided to play. His 12 goals and 38 points paced all Devils defensemen.

Following a dismal start after getting a big contract, Luke Hughes turned his year around to finish with 35 points. He’ll undergo a surgical procedure to repair a lingering shoulder injury.

Simon Nemec posted a career best 11 goals with 15 assists for 26 points. However, he finished his third season ice cold. An upcoming restricted free agent, how much will he want? The looming decision the organization has to make on Nemec will be crucial.

Whoever takes over in the front office should make changes to a blue line that wasn’t mobile enough. Veteran Brenden Dillon struggled mightily. Despite supplying a physical presence, he was beaten often by quicker opponents. He’ll enter the final year of his contract with a 10-team no-trade list.

Siegenthaler has two years remaining on a team friendly deal worth an AAV of $3.4 million. Similar to Dillon, he has a modified 10-team no-trade list. He turns 29 next month.

If they are to return to the postseason next year, Brett Pesce needs to stay healthy. He missed 45 games due to injuries. He’s signed through 2030.

The biggest issue was Jacob Markstrom. Extended two more years by former team president and general manager Tom Fitzgerald last Oct. 31, he posted a 3.07 goals-against-average and .883 save percentage in 44 games (43 starts).

Making matters worse, the 36-year-old battled injuries while continuing to be trusted by Keefe as the starter over the more consistent Jake Allen. Markstrom was finally shut down last Friday. If he was that hurt, why did they continue to play him?

Allen performed better finishing with a 2.74 GAA and .903 save percentage in 37 appearances.

Unless there’s a surprise coming, the Devils will depend on both Markstrom and Allen again. Both will be 36 entering next season.

It should be an interesting off-season.