The New Jersey Devils are going back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was made official on Wednesday night after the New York Rangers lost their game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Now, there is no team in the Metropolitan Division that can catch the Devils, securing their spot at the number three seed in their division.
That secures them a matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes are the last team the Devils played in the playoffs, losing to them in five games in 2023. That was Luke Hughes's playoff debut, where he had an electric Game 3 to put him on the map. The Devils did come into that series with a disadvantage. The Hurricanes went six games with the New York Islanders, but the way the schedule worked, a seven-game series the Devils faced with the New York Rangers had them playing with one day's rest. The Hurricanes had four days of rest.
Now, the Devils and the Hurricanes are playing on an even playing field. New Jersey does come in sputtering a little bit. Coming off a 7-2 loss to the Boston Bruins and still making the playoffs is a strange feeling, but we have a lot to be proud of with this team. They've faced many obstacles in Sheldon Keefe's first year, and he's helped them overcome serious adversity.
This still should be a proud moment. There are so many reasons to be negative, but there are more reasons to be positive. The New Jersey Devils are going to the playoffs again. Let's call this what this is. It's freaking cool as heck. Going to the Prudential Center before game time when the games matter the most is something we haven't had a lot of.
The New Jersey Devils are heading back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs
And let's not forget that the Hurricanes are struggling as well. They just lost back-to-back games against the Bruins and Sabres, two teams at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. This is an interesting series to prepare for because it's not necessarily two teams on hot streaks. Still, these two teams have the talent to put together a great series.
The Devils are still working with a great group led by Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Luke Hughes. Jacob Markstrom could be coming into his own again now that he's back from injury. Dougie Hamilton could return at some point in the first round. Erik Haula has all the motivation in the world to beat his old team. We could learn once again who "playoff Palat" is. There's a lot working in the Devils' favor.
Getting into the tournament is the first step. Maybe some don't think this season has gone how they expected, but making the playoffs is all that matters at this point. Now that the Devils are in, anything in possible.