The New Jersey Devils are gearing up for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their impressive season is winding down with only three games left in the regular season. The club is only one win shy of tying the franchise record (51) for the most wins in a single season and has met and beat franchise and league records all season long.
“It’s a great accomplishment for our group,” said head coach Lindy Ruff. “It’s not something that we focus in on, but we’ve gotten to a point where we are there. We want to continue to play good hockey and really we’re just preparing for the postseason. We want all our players playing well. I think that as a group, 22 or 23 guys that we have used have done a great job.”
The Devils’ Longest Tenured Players Reflect on Playoff Berth
Damon Severson is the team’s longest-tenured player beginning his career in New Jersey nine seasons ago. After the team clinched a spot in the postseason he reflected on the team’s last playoff appearance in the 2017-18 season.
“It’s weird because the only other time that we’ve been in the playoffs when I was on the team was right down to the last few games like we had to really clinch our spot right at the end of the season — very, very end,” he said. “To have that, clinch early, and we earned it. We played really well all year. So, we set ourselves up early in the season to be successful.”
Miles Wood, who is the second longest-tenured player on the team, has a similar memory noting that it came down to the wire.
“The first time that we were in the playoffs it was right up to the end, I think the last two games or so all counted for points,” he said. “This is a great team. Like I said in camp, this is the most depth that I’ve seen in my time here in seven years.”
When Wood made his Devils’ debut on April 9, 2016, vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs. He shared the ice with Jordin Tootoo, Bobby Farnham, and Tuomo Ruutu. A then 21-year-old Severson was manning the team’s blue line and has been there every step of Wood’s career.
“We’ve been through the highs and lows. Certainly, we’re on a high note right now, but we’ve gone through a lot,” said Wood of him and Severson. “He’s been here nine years, I’ve been here seven and it’s nice to stick through it and we have such a great team right now and it’s all those bad years and all those bad days made it worth it to stick it out, and here we are.”
Now that the Devils are in, there is speculation about who their first-round opponent will be. It has been confirmed that the Toronto Maple Leafs will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, and while the Devils are most likely facing the New York Rangers, they could still sneak past the Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division.
Are Wild-Card Teams More Dangerous in the First Round?
The wild-card race has been a nail-biter over these past couple of weeks. The two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference will come down to either the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, or Florida Panthers. Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers have won their last five games and each of the aforementioned three has been forced to play desperate hockey.
After a recent practice, I asked Severson if wild-card teams could be a more dangerous first-round matchup because they had to fight their way into the postseason compared to the Boston Bruins who do not have a lot to play for considering they already clinched the Presidents’ Trophy.
“It could go either way, to be honest, I’m no expert. I think Boston’s been playing so well,” he said. “They (have) a plan in place to win every game. Whereas some of these wild-card teams they’re more desperate right now. Some teams can turn it on come playoff time a little bit more than others and vice versa. You don’t want to fall into we’re in the playoffs now and we can take our foot off the gas.”
History will tell you that there have been plenty of instances where a top team was eliminated at the hands of a seventh or eighth-seed team. In 2010, the Washington Capitals entered the playoffs as the Presidents’ Trophy winner, earning the NHL’s best regular-season record with 121 points. Montreal, who squeaked into the postseason with 88 points, beat the Capitals in seven games. Very few hockey fans can forget the 2019 first-round upset between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Columbus Blue Jackets. The latter swept the Presidents’ Trophy winner, even though Tampa Bay won all three games in this year’s regular-season series.
A First-Round Hudson River Matchup
At the time of publication, the Devils are one point behind the Carolina Hurricanes who have a game at hand. As the regular season winds down, it seems that New Jersey will face their biggest rival, the Rangers, in the first round of the postseason.
Veteran defenseman Brendan Smith has been on both sides of the Hudson River rivalry and during his introductory media availability he said, “I’m excited to be on the opposite side of the [Hudson River Rivalry] and take some points away from the Garden.” New Jersey’s season record vs. the Rangers is 3-0-1.
This series would showcase some of the league’s most talented players. For New Jersey, it starts with Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, and Timo Meier. On the other side of the Hudson River, there’s Igor Shesterkin, Mika Zibanejad, and Adam Fox.
Related: Devils & Rangers Rivalry Has Officially Been Reignited
“It’s some high power numbers there and it’ll be a lot of fun,” Smith said with a smile. “I think this is what fans love the most at the deadline. When big trades are made and they can watch it and see how it progresses. People love that stuff, so it’s great for the fan base. It’s great for building the game. For me, I don’t really care about that other stuff, what I care about is in this locker room.”
Of course, Smith is referring to the Rangers nabbing former Stanley Cup champions Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko. The Devils acquired arguably the most sought-after trade deadline acquisition in Timo Meier. Severson echoed what his defensive partner said regarding the playoff seeding coming into focus.
Yeah, it’s great,” said Severson of a potential Devils-Rangers matchup. “It’s crazy because the standings are the way they are, the matchups how they’re looking, and the rivalry, just everything kind of falling into place.”
Regardless of who their opponent is, veteran players like Smith and Tomas Tatar have made it clear they are only focused on their team and the things that they can control. Regardless of who their first-round opponent will be, the coaching staff, players and fans are excited about what will come over the next couple of weeks.
“It’s exciting times,” said Mackenzie Blackwood. “It’s a great group here, and we’re excited to see what we can do. We have a lot of belief in the room.”
