Nobody Can Say New Jersey Devils Lack Playoff Experience Now
By Nick Villano
The knock on the New Jersey Devils all last season was the team’s lack of playoff experience. Despite adding two-time Stanley Cup champion Ondrej Palat and Erik Haula’s 61 games of postseason experience, the constant analysis was this team was too inexperienced to make a run.
Maybe they were correct. The Devils needed a miraculous series comeback to beat the New York Rangers. They went in the tank in Games 1 and 2. It seemed like they were proving everyone who doubted them right. Then, Akira Schmid and his zero playoff games experience came in and turned the series, and the team’s playoff history, around.
However, the Devils just weren’t good enough to beat the Carolina Hurricanes. The schedule makers did them no favors, asking the Devils to play two days after an emotional Game 7 and then every other day after that. They had no chance to catch their breath, while the Hurricanes had four days off before the series started.
That’s just one excuse, and the truth is the Devils didn’t execute, and the Hurricanes did. Maybe it did have to do with experience. The Devils played the Canes pretty even in the regular season, especially after Andrei Svechnikov’s injury. In that series, the Hurricanes outscored the Devils 24-13.
Next season, the “nerves” argument and the talk of experience no longer matters. The only players on the likely roster who have no playoff experience are Alexander Holtz and Nolan Foote. Luke Hughes even got into some playoff games, and he looked great for most of the time.
Most of the Devils stars now have 12 playoff games under their belt. That was the importance of winning that first-round series. It put the Devils biggest stars into double-digit playoff games. On top of that, Palat now has 150 playoff games. Haula has 73, and Dougie Hamilton has 66. Most important of all, Lindy Ruff has coached 132 playoff games, and he has a winning record.
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Other teams, fans, and analysts will find something else to hate about the Devils next season. Jack Hughes is too small. The team doesn’t have enough grit. The turnover on defense will hurt them this season. That’s fine, but nobody can say the playoff experience will hurt this team. This team has a ton of playoff experience.