New Jersey Devils See Tall Task Heading Into the Weekend
The New Jersey Devils started the California road trip with a solid effort against Los Angeles and a win over the Kings, and a fluky game that everyone wants to forget about in Anaheim, but still resulted in a standings point with the shootout loss to the Ducks.
Coach John Hynes claimed it would be a successful road trip with anywhere from 4-6 points in the three games. They had a chance to get up to 5 against the San Jose Sharks on Monday Night, but no cigar. The Devils were defeated in regulation by a final score of 5-2. There were some things to take away out of this game.
The Sharks are a very difficult team to beat at home. They are so much deeper than the New Jersey Devils (and most teams) that they come at you in waves. One of Erik Karlsson or Brent Burns is on the ice for most of the game. These are each top-five defenseman in the entire NHL.
They have three lines that can score at will and contain the opposition very well, especially at home. That is why it is hard to overreact to hard loss like that on the road. Devils fans can also take pride in the fact that they were actually able to defeat San Jose at home earlier this season.
So, as they say, onward and upward. The Devils have a unique opportunity presented to them right before the holidays to make a comeback in the standings. It is a long road up. Is it likely to jump every other non playoff team in the Eastern Conference? No. Is it possible? Yes. The Devils are young, fast, and still developing quite frankly.
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It begins with a home game on Friday night vs the Vegas Golden Knights, the 2017-18 Western Conference Champions. The Devils played well against them last season. Vegas aren’t exactly the world beaters they were last year when the won the Pacific Division and cruised all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, but they are very good still and hold themselves a playoff spot.
The Devils will likely see goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and have a tough task in beating him. Of course it will be tough, but there is no reason to think that after three nights of being idle that they won’t come out firing.
The following night is where problems could lie. The Devils will then move on to Nashville to take on the Predators in a very hard building against one of the best teams in the league. The Nashville Predators are making a name for themselves yet again as a true threat to win the Stanley Cup.
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The thing the Devils have to build on is recent memory suggesting that they play well against Nashville, even though the Preds have been a much better team. Nashville is also dealing with some injuries to key pieces in their lineup, so it could be an opportunity for the Devils to get back on track for real.