5 New Jersey Devils Who Will Decide Their Playoff Fate
The New Jersey Devils are primed for playoff position. They are behind the Carolina Hurricanes by three points and ahead of the New York Rangers by three points with four games to go. It’s likely the Devils are locked into their position. A Devils-Rangers first-round matchup is going to be incredibly exciting.
It’s been five years since the Devils made the postseason, and it’s been 11 years since the Devils won a series. The last series the Devils won was ironically against the Rangers back in 2012. It was epic, and it’s been something we still think about as Devils fans. This team is looking to make new memories in the postseason, but they have to start with wins.
This Devils team is driven by all 23 players, but there will be a select few who make or break the series. It always works that way. The 2012 Devils needed Ilya Kovalchuk to be at the top of his game to make the Final. Adam Henrique obviously played a huge role, as did the entire fourth line. So, who could be the players who drive the Devils in 2023?
1. Jack Hughes
As always, let’s start with the obvious. Jack Hughes has been struggling since he was injured in February. Well, struggling compared to what he was before. Hughes isn’t the ridiculous scoring machine he was for most of the season. He still has a chance at 100 points, but he needs nine points in the last four games. It’s almost impossible, but that’s beyond the point.
Hughes just needs to get his momentum back before the playoffs. If he can get back into a scoring groove, it would be hard for the Rangers to stop a Devils team with Hughes at the top of his game.
Hughes isn’t on the “top” line right now. The Nico Hischier-Dawson Mercer-Insert other winger here line has been dominating offensively. Still, Hughes playing less than his best might be enough to exact an early exit in his first postseason.
2. Nico Hischier
Speaking of Nico Hischier, he’s absolutely one of the most important players come playoff time. He’s jumped into the upper echelon of player this season. As of this writing, he has 77 points in 78 games. Add that to his defensive play, and the captain is providing major contributions to the team at all levels.
Hischier took an incredible step this season. He finally found a way to see his offensive contributions match his defensive ones. He competes with Hughes every night as they trade moments as the top line. The Devils are going as far as the team’s top two centers take them.
That’s the Devils key to victory. With two incredible centers, they have an advantage over most teams. They are playing the New York Rangers in the first round of the playoffs (more than likely). So, compare the contributions of Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trochek to Hughes and Hischier, and it’s not close.
And that’s why Hischier is the second most important player come playoff time. It sounds insane that two players in the same position are the most important players for the Devils, but it’s true.
3. Vitek Vanecek
The Devils have been to the Stanley Cup Final five times. Every single time, the greatest goaltender of all time Martin Brodeur took them there. Outside of that, the Devils never made the Stanley Cup Final. A lot of it had to do with the Devils goaltending.
Recently, the Devils never had reliable goaltending. Mackenzie Blackwood never stayed healthy enough to consistently win. Jonathan Bernier hurt his hip and might never play again. Cory Schneider was great before a hip injury, and he could never match his output to the output of the team around him. Keith Kinkaid had one good run. Corey Crawford retired.
This season, Tom Fitzgerald finally found the right player in between the pipes. He traded for Vitek Vanecek in the offseason and signed him to a three-year contract. It seemed like another risk at the time, as the Caps were willing to give up on Vanecek despite moving their other starter Ilya Samsonov.
Vanecek has been great at times this season and below par at others. If he’s at the top of his game, then the Devils can win basically every game. Every other part of the Devils is so above average, having just average goaltending is enough to win playoff series.
4. Dougie Hamilton
Dougie Hamilton has had a weird season. He’s one of the top scoring defensemen in the league, but he also frustrates Devils fans with his play in the defensive zone. He can drive the offense. His power play prowess helps the team move the puck to the right spot. Hamilton has 21 goals this season, eight of which came with the man advantage. He’s tied for the team lead in goals on the power play.
However, there’s a reason Devils fans are frustrated with Hamilton. There is more than one occasion that he was caught watching a goal get scored. He was also the trailer on a 2-on-1 against way too many times. The Devils need Hamilton to limit the mistakes. He can’t be allowing more goal than he’s contributing.
Hamilton is going to be a huge piece to the Devils come playoff time. There is no defenseman more important on this team. We could get cute and mention the contributions of Jonas Siegenthaler and Damon Severson, but it’s not realistic.
The Devils need the defense to play like it did in the first half of the year. They’ve shown it at times. If the Devils defense can suppress shots like it does at its best, then this team can beat anyone in the East.
5. Ondrej Palat
Ondrej Palat came to the Devils to bring playoff experience to a young roster. He’s been to three straight Stanley Cup Finals, winning two with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Palat’s regular season contributions didn’t really matter as long as the Devils were playing well.
That’s good since he only scored 22 points this season. He’s behind Ryan Graves, Miles Wood and Michael McLeod (who hasn’t had a goal since January 4th) in points. Yes, Palat injured his groin and was out for months, but the Devils still expected more than 22 points in 46 games.
So, Palat has to play his best game of the season when it matters the most. He’s done that over and over again. Just last season, Palat scored 11 goals in the playoffs. He scored every single one at even strength. Despite playing with Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, he was the one scoring clutch goals.
Next. Breaking Down Devils-Rangers Matchup Position By Position. dark
Palat isn’t as important as Hischier, Hughes, and some would say Timo Meier or Jesper Bratt, but he’s the one who would tell this team how to win when things get hard. The Devils need that. Palat plays an incredible role that goes beyond star power.