The New Jersey Devils have the New York Rangers at the Rock for their final home game of the season. What it means as the season winds down.
The New Jersey Devils finish the home portion of the schedule on Monday Night when the New York Rangers come to the Prudential Center. This is a meaningless game as far as the playoffs are concerned as the Devils and Rangers will both miss the postseason for the first time in the same season in over a decade.
This is also only the second time that the Stanley Cup Playoffs will not feature a man named Martin Brodeur or Henrik Lundqvist since 1997. Things are moving in a different direction for both franchises. The hope is that the Devils can get back to where they once were as far as perennial playoff contenders.
This game should be viewed as a win-win for fans of the New Jersey Devils. If they win they can avoid being swept by the annoying Rangers. If they lose that just increases their chances of great lottery odds. They currently sit with the third best odds with three games to go.
Devils fans can sleep soundly knowing that at full strength the Devils are much better than the Rangers. Without Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Sami Vatanen or Jesper Bratt playing it may appear the Rangers are better on the ice but the Devils are a better hockey team at full strength. With that, their season has been worse because of those injuries and as a result they have better odds at a great draft pick.
More from Pucks and Pitchforks
- Should New Jersey Devils Try Load Management With Vitek Vanecek?
- New Jersey Devils Will Prove That Last Year Wasn’t A Fluke
- New Jersey Devils: Luke Hughes’ Playmaking Will Outshine His Mistakes
- New Jersey Devils: Chase Stillman’s Performance Causes Concern
- Can Devils Fans Separate Zach Parise Heartbreak From Achievements?
The Detroit Red Wings have gotten ahead of the Devils by four points and even passed the Buffalo Sabres in the overall league standings as well. The Devils are getting close to clinching at least the third best odds.
The Los Angeles Kings trail the Devils by one point and have a game in hand so the second best odds are firmly in play as well. They play the Calgary Flames who have a bit of a new look lineup tonight as they have already clinched the Western Conference’s top seed in the playoffs. If the Kings win and the Devils lose, Los Angeles will pass New Jersey by one point.
These games are pretty important for the future as well as evaluating what the Devils have on the ice. This is the last home game and then its the road to close the season.