For the first time in six seasons, the Devils find themselves playing 82 and beyond. Playoff hockey is finally back to the Garden State, but this is no time to be satisfied. It is time to go to war with the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
I’ll start by saying I’m excited to play the Bolts in the first round for a few reasons. First, playoffs are not meant to be easy, and this is a great test to see where we stand and how we can further improve. Second, this honestly is not the worst matchup for New Jersey. Washington and Boston would have been a few nightmare scenarios to kick the postseason off.
The Devils are 3-0 against the Bolts this year, winning in October, February, and March. While this is a nice sign that we can play with this team, don’t be fooled into thinking this is a cakewalk. All three games were determined by one goal, and none of them were easy.
This will be a tough series on both sides, and anything can happen in the postseason. The Devils have played great hockey to end the year, and they are determined to continue to prove everyone wrong. On the other end, the Lightning are the number one seed for a reason, they go hard. They have the star power and depth of a Stanley Cup roster. Can the Devils survive this series to see round two? Of course, but they need to listen closely.
- Everyone needs to contribute, and play their role.
Most will assume this means I except every Devil to tally some points, which is absolutely not the case. New Jersey has a solid roster, if everyone knows their roles and plays them well, we have a shot.
Taylor Hall needs to play like the MVP he’s been all season. Kyle Palmieri needs to find the back of the net. Pavel Zacha and Miles Wood need to keep their hot streaks going. Travis Zajac needs to win faceoffs and create chances. Patrick Maroon needs to go hard in front of the net. Sami Vatanen and Andy Greene need to eat up big minutes, and shutdown Tampa’s top lines.
Most importantly, Keith Kinkaid needs to play like he has the last month of the season. The absolute worst case scenario is Keith getting killed in game one. If they all play to their strengths and are sharp, it’s a good starting point.
- Create offense, be responsible on defense.
As I stated, the Devils are 3-0 against Tampa this season. In all three tilts, the Lighting have outshot the Devils. This is not a sustainable trend, and they need to figure out a way to get more pucks on net, while being responsible.
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Keith has faced the Bolts once this year and had a very strong game. March 24th, he saved 35-36, allowing only one goal. This is great news, but we’re talking about one of the best offenses in the league. They will score if they get enough chances, so the defense is going to have to step up in a major way if they want to survive.
The opposing goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, needs to be tested. While he is good, he has struggled at times with consistency. The Devils need to harass him and not let him get into a groove. A month ago, Vasilevskiy admitted he’s tired. Take advantage, and strike early.
- One shift at a time, play hard.
One path to victory for the Devils can be their will to win. To put it bluntly, New Jersey does not have the talented, star-studded roster that Tampa Bay does. We have seen upsets before, but this team needs to remember they are the heavy underdog.
If they leave everything on the ice this series, I can guarantee you they will put up a strong fight, and the Lighting might be in for a surprise.