New Jersey Devils: Ranking Every Possible First Round Matchup
The race is not over for the New Jersey Devils heading into the final two games of the 2022-23 campaign. The Devils find themselves fighting the Carolina Hurricanes for the Metropolitan Division crown.
If the Devils can take over the top spot, they will face the team in the higher Wild Card position (WC1) in the playoffs. It once seemed inevitable that the Devils would face their rivals the New York Rangers in the first round, but that’s far from set in stone. Here’s who they should hope to see on the other side of the ice in Newark for Game 1, in order of worst to best matchup.
4. New York Islanders
The New York Islanders would likely be the toughest opponent for the Devils in Round 1, as the Devils have struggled to solve New York’s physicality, defensive structure, and elite goaltending in 2 of the 3 meetings they’ve had this season. After a promising 4-1 win in Long Island in October, the last two games against this team were ugly, to say the least. Posting 6-4 and 5-1 losses hardly breeds confidence.
The Isles bullied the Devils physically, outhitting them 84-45, and there’s no reason to see that changing in a playoff series. The Devils lack the creativity and speed they’ve shown against almost every other team when they match up against the Islanders. It doesn’t help that their limited scoring chances are against the best goalie in Ilya Sorokin. The 27-year-old has the 3rd most goals saved above expected among all NHL goalies this season, boasting an incredible .925 save percentage for the second consecutive season (all analytics via Money Puck).
While this is would be the most challenging and exhausting first-round matchup for the Devils, there’s still reason to believe they could push through, as the Devils are undeniably much faster and more talented than the veteran Islanders. However, in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, physicality and goaltending are widely considered two of the most important factors, which is why the Islanders come in at #4.
3. Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers may not be nearly as difficult a matchup as the pesky Islanders come playoff time. However, based on everything, there are still better options for the Devils.
The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Panthers were swept by the Lightning in the Second Round last year. At least the Panthers were able to break the longest playoff series win drought in NHL history. Their interim head coach (and Jack Adams finalist) Andrew Brunette is now a member of the Devils coaching staff, which could be a reason for their significant decline this season. They replaced him with Paul Maurice. They’ve also parted ways with Jonathan Huberdeau and Mackenzie Weegar, who left as part of the Matthew Tkachuk trade. The biggest problem is they have been unable to find consistent goaltending for the most part.
Despite this Panthers team looking like a relatively easy matchup for the Devils on paper, Florida has had the better end of the season series, and they would likely be riding an eight-game win streak heading into the first round. There would be a lot to be excited about for this series, but it wouldn’t be as favorable as the next two. The Devils should be hoping for another team to get the Wild Card. However, it might just end up who we thought it was going to be all along.
2. New York Rangers
The most likely outcome, and the craziest, is, of course, the matchup against the New York Rangers. Luckily for your heart, the Devils should have the edge in this potential first-round rivalry.
The Devils are a much better team at even strength than the Rangers this year, as shown in the results. Nearly sweeping the season series going 3-0-1, New Jersey has the most expected goals in the league this season, while the Rangers are 23rd in that category. In terms of special teams percentages, the teams are pretty even.
A lot of Rangers fans will tell you the Devils have ‘no playoff experience,’ but New Jersey has 15 players who have played in the postseason, including Ondrej Palat, who hasn’t lost in a series that isn’t the Stanley Cup Final since 2019. While experience can certainly be a valuable asset in the playoffs, it is not necessarily a make-or-break factor, anyways, and the Devils have enough of it.
The main concern for the Devils would be Igor Shesterkin’s getting hot, but he has been nowhere near as good as he was last year when he essentially carried the team to the conference finals. If Vanecek can play at a similar level to Shesterkin, this series could be over in 5 or 6 games, with the Devils heading to the second round.
1. Pittsburgh Penguins
There should not be many questions as to why Devils fans should be ecstatic to face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. This is undoubtedly the most ideal opening matchup for the Devils, as they swept the season series against the Penguins 4 games to 0. In those four games, the Devils outscored them 16-6.
Yes, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and the Penguins have infinitely more experience than the Devils, as they have the longest active playoff streak in North American pro sports, collecting three Stanley Cups along the way. This is one of the great franchises of this era.
However, the Pens haven’t made it out of the first round since 2018 and are barely making the playoffs at this point. In fact, there’s a good shot they don’t make the playoffs at all.
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The Penguins have been inconsistent all year and don’t have the goaltending to bail out their lackluster play at times, as we’ve seen against New Jersey in all 4 games. The Pens are going to continue to have trouble withstanding the speed and skill of the Devils in the playoffs, which is why fans should be hoping it lines up this way.