The New Jersey Devils are past the regular season, qualifying for the playoffs after 82 games. It was never easy, and many Devils fans even lost hope in this team along the way. There are many instances where the Devils looked like anything but a playoff team. They still don't have a four-game winning streak this season, but they have may upsetting losing streaks.
Add onto that the Devils will be without Jack Hughes and Jonas Siegenthaler, and many aren't expecting much from the team this series. And honestly, that's fine. The Devils can come into this series and the playoffs as a whole as the underdogs.
While injuries have impacted the Devils, a few players underperforming have had just as big an impact. It appears Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe isn't leaning on his veterans in the postseason. He made some interesting lineup decisions, especially on the bottom line when the Devils revealed their lines in practice on Saturday.
No changes for #NJDevils from yesterday’s rushes.
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) April 19, 2025
Devils preparing to leave for Raleigh after practice with Game 1 set for tomorrow afternoon.
Here’s how it’s all rolling out today: pic.twitter.com/BcnPaJF0XW
The Devils added Tomas Tatar this postseason as the "final piece" at forward. They tried to make moves for Jonathan Marchessault and possibly even Steven Stamkos, but when they lost out on their offensive possibilities, they reunited with Tatar. Now, as the season has come to an end and the postseason begins, Tatar is out of the lineup.
The same goes for Curtis Lazar. He was really good for the Devils last season, but he's been mostly bad this season. It seems like he returned too early from an injury and was never the same. The Devils decided to play Justin Dowling, who plays a supreme defensive game, over Lazar.
Sheldon Keefe makes hard decisions by benching Curtis Lazar and Tomas Tatar in Game 1
Lazar brings 30 games of playoff experience, and Tatar is leaving 52 games of experience in the owner's box during Game 1. We'd expect players like Nathan Bastian and Daniel Sprong have short leashes because of who might be available, but Keefe is doing his best to put together the best lineup to beat Carolina.
Keefe talked about his mindset in keeping Bastian and Dowling in the lineup, saying he expects them to play well versus the Hurricanes. He likes Bastian's size in this matchup, but it doesn't sound like it's set in stone that it will be this way moving forward.
Keefe has talked about having a fluid lineup, so there's a chance both Lazar and Tatar can play in this series. We'll see what happens in Game 1. If the Devils steal one, we don't expect the lineup to change. If they lose, anything is on the table.