Hey, everyone! Welcome back. So much to talk about… Let’s get right into it!!!
GOLDEN JACK 🇺🇸
I hope you all had a great break and enjoyed the Olympics. What an amazing tournament to watch, and the ending was, of course, a moment none of us could have seen coming. I mean, wow!!! I am still speechless about Jack's golden goal!
In my last article before the NYI game, and on our pregame show with Cory, I said my hope was that Jack gets an unbelievable Olympic bump and that his vintage self comes back from Milan to help this team go on a heater. But I can’t say I expected him to come back as a national hero and a forever icon for USA hockey!!! It is truly unbelievable. I am so happy for Jack, and could not be more excited to chat with him live during warmups on our pregame show!
MARKY & BRATTER 🇸🇪
In addition to Jack, I was especially hoping that Marky going to the Olympics and being part of Team Sweden would finally be the catalyst he’s been needing to find his form again, as he still hasn’t found the consistency he had before the emotional downer of missing 4 Nations last season.
And while it wasn’t the way Marky would’ve wanted the run to end, conceding a beautiful OT winner to Quinn Hughes in the quarterfinals, this was nothing short of a successful Olympics for Marky, from an individual performance standpoint. I love that he was given the net in the most important game and made his country proud, just as the rest of the NJD Olympians did — Nemo, Bratter, Nico, Timo, and Siegs — despite none of them coming home with a medal.
In the case of Bratter, I have truly never seen such head-scratching decision-making from a coach. There are plenty of other questionable decisions I could get into from SWE head coach Sam Hallam, but the main one was not playing Bratter for most of that quarterfinal game against Team USA. From Jesper’s perspective, the positive is that he was finally utilized in the most important moment of the tournament, down 1-0 late in the 3rd, and he was excellent. 
THE SWISS TRIO🇨ðŸ‡
Similarly to Marky and Bratter, it was also a heartbreaking ending to Nico, Timo, and Siegs’ run with Switzerland, blowing a lead late in the 3rd to Finland before losing in OT. However, Timo’s play in this tournament was outstanding and, hopefully, is the Olympic bump he needs to get back on track with the Devils. Entering the Olympics, he only had 2-3–5 PTS in his last 23 GP, so for him to finish top-10 in Olympic scoring (3-4–7 PTS in 5 GP) is a very encouraging sign that we might see vintage Timo reemerge with the Devils next.
NEMO 🇸🇰
Last but not least, I can’t say enough great things about Nemo and his performance with Slovakia playing alongside Martin Fehervary. Their pairing was tremendous, and Nemo, individually, was a driver from the backend.
The top scoring chance creators of the 2026 Olympics heading into the Gold Medal Game pic.twitter.com/gA9XvtZjPN
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 21, 2026
PLAYOFF HOPE?!
Now, with Jack coming back as a USA hockey legend and gold medal winner, the other six Olympians having a strong tournament, Luke potentially back in the lineup as soon as Saturday, and everyone else getting a much-needed mental and physical reset, the question everyone keeps asking me is, “Sal, can the Devils push the envelope here riding on the coattails of Jack?!”
Well, as we all know, this team dug itself an incredibly deep hole to climb out of before the break, and that hole did not magically vanish while everyone was away. It’s still very much a long shot for the Devils to make the playoffs at this point in time. As you can see in the graphic below, it’s going to take a historic run of close to .800 hockey in the final 25 games for the Devils to have a chance.
For me, the bare minimum is that they start with winning at least four of the five games before the trade deadline coming up on March 6. Then, we will reassess!
Coincidentally, the last time BUF came into the Rock, back on Dec. 21, it was all centered around Jack and his return from his hand injury. Jack scored on his first shot that game (see video below), and everyone thought that was the moment that would finally turn this season around. But the team failed to use that moment as a catalyst, getting dominated in the 2nd period and ultimately losing 3-1 on an empty netter, turning a potential three-game win streak at the time into a four-game winless streak.
I really hope that this opportunity tonight at home vs. BUF, with everyone rallying around Jack’s emotional and historic moment, is not wasted. Either you validate all of these reasons for hope, or you instantly drown them all and send a message that nothing has changed with this team. Score first and get the W!!! 
Be sure to join us for tonight's pregame show as I chat with the American hero himself, Jack Hughes, during pregame warmups! Then, Rupper, Rachel, and I break down Jack's golden goal, the state of USA hockey, and more from the Olympics. It all starts at 6:30 p.m. on MSGSN! LGD!
-Sal
