The New Jersey Devils qualified for the postseason for the first time in five years. It’s been a long rebuild. Two first-overall picks, a second-overall pick, a fourth-overall pick, and a seventh-overall pick in the NHL Draft since 2017 show this is a team that’s a. incredibly lucky in the lottery and b. incredibly bad in the standings. The goal this season was always to make the playoffs.
Mission accomplished. The Devils qualified for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday after the New York Rangers beat the Florida Panthers in regulation. It was a strange coincidence that the Devils got the push into the playoffs thanks to their biggest rival winning a game, but that’s how it worked out.
It’s even stranger because the Devils and Rangers are torpedoing toward a first-round matchup in the playoffs. The Devils are only two points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the lead in the Metropolitan Division, but the Canes have two games in hand. It’s pretty close to done for the Devils and the Metro.
The New Jersey Devils have a new goal after making the postseason. They need to advance to at least the second round.
The Rangers are four points behind the Devils with nine games to play. Six of the Devils nine remaining games are against playoff teams. Two are against teams fighting for Connor Bedard (Chicago and Columbus), and the other is against the Buffalo Sabres, who just beat the Devils last week.
It’s going to be a wild run toward the postseason as the Devils continue to fend off the Rangers to gain home-ice advantage. It seems pretty set in stone that the Hudson River Rivalry will see its seventh playoff matchup. This is the fourth time they will play in the first round, with the Rangers winning two of the previous three.
The Devils have to change the goals for this season. If they scratched and clawed into the postseason similar to the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins, then it would be acceptable to lose to either Boston or Carolina. It would be a different story entirely. When the Devils survived long enough to make the playoffs in 2018, nobody really expected them to beat the superstar Tampa Bay Lightning. However, Devils fans were just happy to be a part of the big dance. This was a stepping stone. A learning moment that would bring on so many more.
This season feels different. While it’s been about the same time between postseason appearances, it’s a different Devils team.
Taylor Hall carried the 2018 team. Nico Hischier was a rookie, Travis Zajac was the veteran helping push the second and third line, and Kyle Palmieri, Blake Coleman, and Sami Vatanen were hitting their prime. Miles Wood, Jesper Bratt, and Will Butcher filled out the roster with young guns. It still felt like the Devils were a scary team moving forward, but they needed moves to take that next step forward.
This Devils team seems like it’s already ready to be at the top of the league. They’ve been in second in the Metro all season. With 100 points already, the Devils are proving themselves as a true contender. Nobody is going to be happy with a simple playoff appearance. It’s especially not going to be good enough if the Devils lose to the Rangers. Plans change. Goals change. The Devils need to win a playoff series if the fans are going to consider 2022-23 a success.