It wasn't easy. It's never been easy. The New Jersey Devils have gone through this season with a target on their back and a bear trap on their ankle. Monday was no different, as an ineffective first period and a collapse in the third period made life incredibly difficult for the Devils. Luckily, they had Jake Allen in net, and he stole the game. Allen stopped 23 shots in the third period and 45 total in the game to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1.
It was a huge win for the Devils, who are recovering from a 7-3 embarrassment at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. That game also got out of hand in the third period, but Jacob Markstrom could not handle the pressure like Allen did. The loss was concerning, but this win makes life much, much easier for the Devils.
When the Devils beat the Blue Jackets last week, it really set the Devils up for success. At the time, the win gave the Devils a 91.8 percent chance to make the playoffs according to MoneyPuck. Monday's win pushes that number to just under 97%. Now, it takes more than a calamitous Devils' collapse to miss the playoffs. The Devils would also need two of the Rangers, Blue Jackets, Canadiens, and Red Wings to go on the run of a lifetime to knock the Devils out of the race. It's just not happening.
Those remaining teams are insanely flawed. With the Rangers' loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday, they are now eight points back with one game at hand. And that's a team that's in the playoffs. The teams on the outside looking in include the Canadiens (nine points back but three games in hand, but they can't take the three spot in the Metropolitan Division), the Jackets (10 points back with two games in hand), and the Red Wings (same as Jackets but without the ability to move into a Metropolitan spot).
The New Jersey Devils haven't clinched a playoff spot, but they should focus on the postseason
This is asking too much of extremely flawed teams. This isn't the year when a Florida Panthers team finally overcame injuries at the end of the year and got the right chemistry with Matthew Tkachuk at the right time. This is a New York Rangers team that still doesn't have offensive chemistry and massive issues on defense. The Canadiens are a year early, and their matchups with the Devils show they aren't exactly in this league yet. The Red Wings can't get out of their own way, and the Blue Jackets ran out of steam on their storybook ending.
Thankfully, the Devils can breathe a sigh of relief after their win on Monday. They play their next three games at home against mediocre opponents. They should be able to bank a few more points to push this playoff likelihood even higher.
Looking forward, the Devils have a few very important decisions to make. The biggest decision is in net. Jake Allen has outplayed Jacob Markstrom since he returned from injury. Will they realistically go with Allen in the playoffs if he's playing like he is right now? He might be their best chance to win.
Will Simon Nemec get every opportunity to succeed in the playoffs, or will Keefe go with the steady hand like Dennis Chowlowski? Maybe Dougie Hamilton is ready to go by then, but for now, it's likely the Devils have to get Nemec ready for the playoffs. The rest of the defense has to find the right pairings. Johnathan Kovacevic, hot off a brand new extension, hasn't found the right pairing since Jonas Siegenthaler went down.
The offense is also trying to put together the right pairings with new pieces like Cody Glass and Daniel Sprong. Glass is everyone's new favorite player, pairing with Jesper Bratt and Erik Haula on most nights. Sprong hasn't found a solid footing since joining the Devils, but he's probably just ready to get that NHL paycheck.
The Devils can now look forward all thanks to the win on Monday. Every win gets them percentage points closer to clinching, and every loss from their opponents does the same. As of right now, the Devils' magic number is 11. They need 11 wins or 11 losses from the last team out of the playoffs.