The New Jersey Devils beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3, thanks to an opportunistic offense and a defense built on survival. The Hawks made it interesting, scoring with less than three minutes left to make it a one-goal game, but Stefan Noesen scored his 20th goal on an empty net. The Devils got goals from Timo Meier, Ondrej Palat, Dawson Mercer, and Nathan Bastian in the win.
This was the exact effort needed from the Devils on offense. They got scoring from everywhere. They even got goals at even strength, on the power play, and on the penalty kill. It was a great offensive performance.
Meanwhile, the New York Islanders lost in regulation to the Vancouver Canucks. The loss pushes the Islanders to nine points behind the Devils. They have 11 games to go, while the Devils are down to nine. The New York Rangers are also nine points back, and they have 10 games to go. Columbus is 10 points back with 12 games to go.
The New Jersey Devils are safe after Wednesday's win against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Anything can happen over the next few games, but the Devils are in a pretty enviable position. This weekend, they have a rough stretch with the Winnipeg Jets and two games against the Minnesota Wild in just four nights, but they have five days off after that. Meanwhile, the Islanders' next three games include a matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes and two against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Rangers have an easier schedule, but it's a back-to-back in California. The Blue Jackets have the Canucks and Senators on a back-to-back this weekend.
Even the most negative Devils' fan has to admit the math is working in their favor. Losing to the Chicago Blackhawks would make life very difficult for them. Beating them puts them in an enviable position, to say the least.
Even if the Devils go hockey .500 the rest of the way, the Islanders would need to go 9-1-1 for the rest of the season to pass the Devils. The Rangers would have to go 9-0-1. Think about that context. Neither of these teams has the talent to make that kind of run.