Credit: Reuters
Devils Fall to Jets Despite Late Game Comeback Efforts
Published: Wednesday, January 28, 2026
by Ryan Fox
NEWARK, N.J. - The New Jersey Devils (27-24-2) lost to the Winnipeg Jets (21-24-7) by the same score for the second time in 16 days, 4-3. The Devils were coming off a successful Canadian road trip, racking three wins against the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks before falling to the Seattle Kraken this past Sunday.
Before puck drop, New Jersey held a ceremony for former Devil, John MacLean, as he was inducted into the New Jersey Devils Ring of Honor. MacLean, a former Stanley Cup Champion, won one as a player in 1995 and the other as an assistant coach in 2003.
Taking the ice for starting lineups would be what some have started to coin as the "Diner Line," being Arseny Gritsyuk, Cody Glass, and Lenni Hämeenaho on offense, with Johnathan Kovacevic and Jonas Siegenthaler on defense, and Jake Allen in goal. The forward line has proven to be a threat, with all three managing to gain a point on the Canadian road trip, especially against Vancouver.
Off the jump, Winnipeg was able to score first, where Mark Scheifele was able to net one past Allen a minute and a half in with the assists going to Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi.
After some scrappy back and forth action, Devils newcomer, Lenni Hämeenaho brought the New Jersey back, with Arseny Gritsyuk grabbing the assist. During the first, Winnipeg would see the only power play of the game, where Šimon Nemec would come off for tripping. The first period of play wrapped up at an even 1-1 hockey game.
Early in the second, Gabriel Vilardi was able to snipe one past Allen giving Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor some extra points on the assists. After the Devils desperately scrambled for some momentum, Cole Koepke put another thorn in New Jersey’s side with another goal, this time with Alex Iafallo and Morgan Barron getting the assists.
Johnathan Kovacevic would then be called for holding, giving the Jets another opportunity on the man advantage, where they were unsuccessful. Just under 17 minutes in, Nino Niederreiter would answer once more for Winnipeg, giving them a devastating 4-1 lead late in the second.
With just over 2 minutes to spare, New Jersey would see their first power play of the game, where Jesper Bratt was able to tip the puck behind Connor Hellebuyck with the help of Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton, to give the Devils an ounce of grace going into the final 20 minutes.
Entering the final period, New Jersey had their foot on the pedal, floored to the metal. Jesper Bratt’s late second period goal sparked both the offensive and defensive sides of the ice. Prominent Winnipeg defenseman, Josh Morrissey, was called for tripping 14 minutes into the final period, giving the Devils another opportunity to score on the man advantage, but rendered unsuccessful.
With the final minutes ticking away, Nico Hischier was able to score with 1:46 remaining, as Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes got a nice pair of assists. However, the Devils would simply run out of time, and the Jets would hold on to win 4-3.
With only four games remaining before the Olympic break in February, New Jersey will look to bounce back this Thursday against the Nashville Predators in Newark with a 7:00 p.m. puck drop.
Ryan Fox can be reached at ryan.fox@student.shu.edu.Posted in: sports,