5 New Jersey Devils Players Fighting For Playoff Minutes
The New Jersey Devils made a few moves at the NHL Trade Deadline that made the roster more competitive. Now, the bottom of the roster will have to prove its worth for the rest of the season.
Despite the New Jersey Devils‘ dreadful performance against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night, they are almost a lock to make the playoffs this season. With 15 games left in the season, the Devils are 18 points ahead of the New York Islanders, the owners of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. There will be two major goals from now until the end of the year. The Devils want to win the Metropolitan Division and prepare the roster for the postseason.
To prepare, the Devils have to find the best lineup. They’ve been playing with the lines since Timo Meier arrived, and he’s struggled to fit into the Lindy Ruff system. It’s not something to be worried about. Ruff’s system takes time to acclimate. Then, on Tuesday night, the Devils added Curtis Lazar to the lineup for the first time.
Adding those two makes every moment matter for the bottom six. The Devils are evaluating everyone and expect to see a few different lineups for the next few weeks. Who is fighting for their playoff lives? Let’s start with the new guy.
Curtis Lazar
Lazar, as we said, joined the lineup for the first time against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. He had a rough night, being on the ice for four high-danger chances against and zero for his own line. The offense wasn’t there, at least meaningful offense. Only Michael McLeod and Miles Wood, his linemates, had fewer 5v5 minutes.
Lazar was already given penalty kill time, which didn’t go so badly. He didn’t allow a high-danger chance in 1:12.
The Devils eventually gave up on the fourth line. It’s happened far too often as of late. The Devils wanted to run four lines, which is why they made the moves they did. However, Lazar needs time to get into the right place in the Lindy Ruff system, just like Meier. If he takes too long, he could see himself out of the lineup come playoff time.
Nathan Bastian
Lazar took the place of Nathan Bastian, who all of a sudden has been fighting for his life in the lineup. It’s actually strange. Bastian has some of the best underlying numbers on the time. He’s been on the ice for 14 goals and only 9 goals against at 5v5. Only Nico Hischier and Tomas Tatar have a better ratio.
Bastian hasn’t been the same player since he returned from his injury, but that was almost two months ago. Since he returned in January, Bastian is fourth in CF% (not including Lazar’s one game). So, it’s not like he’s been bad. He just wasn’t the really good player he was earlier in the season.
His high-danger chance percentage is second to only Damon Severson since January. Literally, everything is pointing to Bastian being one of the most important bottom-six players on the roster.
Yet, it seems like Lindy Ruff still makes him fight for every second he’s on the ice. Bastian makes an impact with his hits, his offensive awareness, and his ability to suppress shots through blocks and zone exits. Yet, for some reason, he finds himself out of the lineup. Let’s see if he proves himself by the time the playoffs come.
3. Miles Wood
Miles Wood has always been one of the most controversial players on the team. He missed most of last season with a hip injury, and many believe it was part of the reason for the season collapsing quickly (although the goaltending issue was much more to blame). Yet, this season, many are calling for him to see the owner’s box in one of these games.
Wood’s mixture of size, speed, and tenacity makes him a unique player. Ruff doesn’t want to lose that possibility in the lineup, but facts are facts. He’s been making mistakes that have cost the team on the scoreboard. That can’t happen in the playoffs. Wood has to find the best version of himself.
Wood actually left Tuesday’s game in the second period and never returned. We did not get an update on why he left or his future status, but the hip injury could always flare up. That’s an issue for him, and it might make this decision easier for the Devils. If he’s out for a while, the Devils will be forced to add Bastian back into the lineup.
The Devils are watching all its players compete for spots, and Ruff gave Wood an incredibly long leash. Right now, he has 24 points in 63 games. It’s not very impressive. He still has the ability to change a game at a moment’s notice. So, if he’s healthy, it’s likely he keeps his spot.
4. Yegor Sharangovich
Yegor Sharangovich hasn’t been given a chance since the Devils added Timo Meier to the lineup. He’s been a daily healthy scratch, and now with Curtis Lazar on the roster, it looks like Sharangovich will have a harder chance to make it into the top or bottom six. He’s been all over the lineup all season, and now he’s not even allowed in the lineup.
It’ll be hard to prove he deserves a spot without getting a chance to prove himself, but we expect Sharangovich to find his way back into the lineup. At some point, Ruff will try everyone to see who fits best in the postseason.
Sharangovich has been very inconsistent offensively this season. He does have 27 points, which is eighth on the team. While we expect more from Sharangovich, he’s still doing better than others on the team. While +/- is a pointless stat, it is strange to see Shargo as the only lineup regular with a minus (he’s a -6 on the year).
The one thing going Sharangovich’s way is his penalty killing. Since January 20th, Sharangovich has been on the ice for one shorthanded goal and one power-play goal against. In 24 PK minutes, he’s been near perfect. That in of itself might get him back into the lineup.
5. Vitek Vanecek
Well, this one is a little awkward. Vitek Vanecek is the reason the Devils are where they are. Getting a competent goalie helps the Devils secure the first playoff berth since 2018. After last year’s debacle in net, it was nice to get someone who could at least be average on a nightly basis.
However, we saw on Tuesday night how average can turn into terrible against the right team. The Lightning are one of the more opportunistic teams in the league. The Devils lost momentum when their second goal was disallowed due to a pretty mediocre goaltender interference call. The Lightning took advantage, and Vanecek couldn’t stop them.
We’ve asked if Vanecek might be a problem, but he responded with a shutout of the Carolina Hurricanes to send the Devils to a tie for first place. The Devils already lost that tie after the loss on Tuesday, and it’s starting to look like Vanecek might be losing his endurance.
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Meanwhile, Mackenzie Blackwood is on the verge of returning, and Akira Schmid has been nothing short of outstanding. The Devils have a strange problem in net, but it could lead to a great starter taking over in the playoffs. Vanecek will be given every chance to secure his spot after how he’s played this season. However, the Devils have to do what’s best for the team. If Blackwood or Schmid is the best option right now, that’s who will play in the playoffs.