Devils Face Good Test in Mini Series vs. Lightning, a Team They Aspire to Be

Despite entering Tuesday’s home game ten points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference standings – the first of three in six days between the New Jersey Devils and the Lightning – it wasn’t the visitors who were using it as a ‘measuring stick’ game. It was New Jersey. The Lightning are who the Devils want to be in the next decade of hockey.

Sitting on 94 (!) points in the season entering Tuesday’s clash, the Devils came out on fire. Damon Severson gave them a lead 5:55 into the first period, and New Jersey was off and running. They thought they made it 2-0 when Ryan Graves’ point shot beat Andrei Vasilevskiy about six minutes later, but Tampa Bay challenged for goaltender interference successfully. Within five minutes, the Lightning had tied the game 1-1 with a shorthanded goal.

“We gave ourselves a chance early on in that game, to be in it, to win it. It could’ve been 2-0, they get a shorty, it’s 1-1, and they had the momentum,” Devils forward Erik Haula told Pucks and Pitchforks after the game. “But I thought we were going fine, and then we fell apart in the second (period). We didn’t have our best stuff most of the game (plus) that team, giving them easy goals. Then they locked it up, and we didn’t have an answer tonight.”

Tampa struck three times in the second period – including Nikita Kucherov’s marker with 0.8 left – and the Devils never recovered. Along the way, they hit about five goalposts or crossbars, which can be disheartening when you’re playing against one of the best goaltenders in the league.

“That’s how it goes sometimes (hitting the posts). It’s just one of those moments you say sh*t, and then you move on,” lamented Haula.

Head Coach Lindy Ruff hopes his young team grows from this challenge against one of the East’s most formidable foes. “We have to use this game as a lesson. We have to take a little bit of what they did; they were waiting on us to make mistakes.”

For what it’s worth, Haula said he welcomed the challenge of playing against the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions three times in six days as the young and tender Devils begin to attempt to win their first playoff round in over a decade.

“I like it. After today’s game, I think it’s great that we get another opportunity to see how we match up with them. I assume we’ll have a better game Thursday against them,” Haula told us.

“They’re a great team, they know how to win; two Cups in three years, three Finals in a row. A well-coached, veteran team – they’re a wagon. They always have been and whatever little pieces they change, their core drives the bus. It will be a good test on Thursday.”

The Devils were able to steal a point from the Lightning on Thursday night thanks to Timo Meier’s first two-goal game with his new franchise. They went to overtime and lost in the shootout. A much better result than Tuesday.

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Five years from now, maybe the student becomes the master and the Devils will become the wagon. Their core of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer, Dougie Hamilton, and co will be driving the bus, hopefully, with some shiny hardware on board.