Please Don't Put "Playoffs" and "New Jersey Devils" In The Same Sentence

Finally. After months and months of holding onto slivers of hope, the New Jersey Devils lost to the Buffalo Sabres. They had a chance to gain ground on the Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals, and Philadelphia Flyers. Instead, they blew a game against a Buffalo Sabres team that was circling the drain themselves.

It makes it even worse that the Devils took a 2-0 lead and looked absolutely dominant in the first period. Max Willman tipped in a Luke Hughes shot to make it 1-0. Then, Jesper Bratt scored. The Devils had a chance to add to it, but they failed to get a shot off on a 27 second 5v3. They had probably four or five looks to get a shot, but they decided to pass instead, and Jack Hughes skated into someone trying to avoid them. 

That was the start of the Devils downfall. They did not show up in the second period, seeing Tage Thompson score two goals while the Devils couldn’t beat Devin Levi. After putting up nine high-danger chances in the second period only to get stopped, they didn’t really put up the fight in the third. 

The Devils watched as Buffalo turned on the jets. New Jersey just packed it in. One team still had an outside shot at the playoffs, but they were frustrated by a goalie and tried ridiculous plays to get back in it. There were more no-look passes to nobody this game, just hoping there was a small chance it was going to lead to a big play. One hundred percent of the time, it went to a Sabres player.

The Devils could have controlled their destiny with a few wins and some luck, but now they just control their draft position. And honestly, that’s fine. It was a disaster season that won’t have a happy ending. That’s just how it works sometimes. 

Many things are true about the New Jersey Devils this season. One thing that's absolutely true is we should never mention the word "playoffs" around this team again. They aren't a playoff team. Jake Allen deserved it, and a few players did too, but this team does not deserve to go to the playoffs.