The New Jersey Devils are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2023. However, they did not do it themselves. New Jersey had a chance to clinch a playoff spot on Tuesday night against the Boston Bruins. Unfortunately, the Devils did not show up and lost 7-2 to the Bruins. Thus, they needed help from the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night.
Philadelphia needed to beat the New York Rangers in regulation or in the extra session (overtime or shootout), and the Devils would have an “X” next to their name. It was a wild game that saw Tyson Foerster record a hat trick as the Flyers won 8-5 over the Rangers, allowing the Devils to punch their ticket to the dance.
Report: New Jersey Devils Bringing Over Russian Prospect Arseni Gritsyuk
The New Jersey Devils organization will be excited. Instead of looking at the negative, where it is just the three playoff appearances since 2012, the Devils will look at the positive, making the playoffs in two of the last three seasons. Even though there is excitement for the players and coaches, they all know that as a team, they must play better and be better prepared.
Performances like Tuesday night’s against the Boston Bruins will not be enough in the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“Not much urgency for whatever reason to a man, top to bottom. I don’t think one guy can say they had it tonight,” defenseman Brett Pesce told the media on Tuesday night following the loss. “It sucks. We had an opportunity to clinch. We didn’t get it done and embarrass ourselves out there. At this point you wash it and move on.”
But this has been an issue for the Devils all season with their starts and consistency. Even though head coach Sheldon Keefe has brought a team to the playoffs for six straight seasons, there are clear holes on the team. While not having Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, and Jonas Siegenthaler in the lineup does not help, playing a consistent 60-minute game was an issue even when the Devils had a healthy lineup.
Luke Hughes Has Become the New Jersey Devils Number One Defenseman
The Devils cannot string more than three wins in a row. And when the team has off nights, they are really off. Nothing goes well for them. Finding consistency heading down the stretch and finding their identity heading into the playoffs is a must. But it is the same lesson all year long when the Devils lose and don’t play the right way.
“We just need to find out what our identity is and stick with it,” Stefan Noesen said following the game on Tuesday. “It’s just consistency. It’s being hard and doing the little things right.”
The clear message heading into the playoffs is Tuesday’s night effort was not good enough. If the Devils don’t stick with their structure and system, they are going to struggle and not have success. Tuesday night’s loss is a reminder that if they don’t show up on a nightly basis, they are going to lose, even to a team lower than them in the standings.
“It’s another reminder that when we don’t lead with our competitiveness, our pace of play, our structure, we’re just not very good,” Keefe said. “That’s another reminder of that.”
Sheldon Keefe Continues To Keep Devils Players Accountable
When everyone buys into the system and the team plays fast, attacking, relentless hockey, it can compete with any team in the league, even with the injuries it has. But that is New Jersey Devils hockey. There is no superstar, just a hardworking team that uses the talented players it has in a system to be successful.
“We have to be at a very high level to give ourselves a chance to win against anybody. We have to get back to that,” Keefe continued.
While the New Jersey Devils accomplished their goal of making the playoffs, backing in was not on the card. The players know what they need to work on before the puck drops on Game 83.
