Santa came to town on Thursday for many families around the world, but for the Markstrom family, there was a special visitor.
Santa came to town on Thursday for many families around the world, but for the Markstrom family, there was a special visitor.
Continuing the festive spirit, Santa Bratt—Jesper Bratt in Santa costume—made a special appearance in Newark, specifically at the Markstrom household.
The bond between the winger and the netminder has grown over two seasons playing with the New Jersey Devils. Bratt, drafted by the Devils in 2016, has spent his entire career with the team.
Markstrom, on the other hand, joined the team last season, in 2024-25. Since then, he has played 68 games with the team and earned 35 wins.
Looking at the current season, the Devils have been struggling with injuries and offensive production. As the team headed into the holiday break, they had dropped their last two contests.
As a result, the team currently sits sixth in the Metropolitan Division with a 20-16-1 record.
The best present this holiday season was the return of Jack Hughes to the lineup. Hughes had been sidelined for five weeks after a freak accident at a team dinner. Hughes had hand surgery and finally returned to the lineup last week. In his first game back, Hughes netted the team’s only goal of the night.
Getting Hughes back was a massive addition, but the Devils still need more solutions if they hope to make a deeper playoff push.
Injured players returning is helpful, but the issues around playing complete games and winning remain.
If the Devils cannot unlock the secret to consistent success, they will continue to struggle through the remainder of the season.
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Category: General Sports
