The New Jersey Devils earned yet another win as they went to Madison Square Garden and beat them in the middle of their chase for the playoffs.
The New Jersey Devils played their game against the New York Rangers on Saturday night with a lot of pride. It is always important to the players on both sides of this rivalry to get out there and play well against each other. The Rangers have a slight chance to be a playoff team so the Devils would love nothing more than to make that as difficult on them as possible.
They defeated them by a final score of 6-4. It was a great game for the Devils as they kept their rivals from getting within a point of the playoff line. Two Devils veterans helped them get the job done offensively in this one. Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac each scored two goals in the big win for New Jersey. Zajac’s two tallies saw him pass Zach Parise for fourth all-time in Devils’ goals.
This game was New Jersey’s 6th win in their last ten games. They are showing some life down the stretch. They currently sit 11 points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the final spot in the Eastern Conference Playoff race. There is basically no chance for the Devils to make it, but there was some buzz around the narrative after this win.
If the Devils win out, they will have 96 points. The Hurricanes, who currently holds that last spot, are on pace for 96 points. With the fact that the Devils are highly unlikely to win every game to close the season, you can assume that the playoffs are a no go this year. One thing that is true, however, is the fact that this team can try to play well down the stretch and have a lot to look forward to next year and beyond.
It had to sting for the New York Rangers to lose to the Devils at this point of the season, which is exactly what we want. If everything goes well, the Devils are going to have three quality picks in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft along with the most cap space in the NHL. They are back in action on Tuesday night when the Pittsburgh Penguins come to town. Hopefully, the Devils are able to keep up the good play in front of their goaltenders.