2 weeks Ago By The Hockey News - New Jersey Devils
After missing the post-season last year, the New Jersey Devils bounced back this campaign and are set to square off against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round because of it. This has all the makings of being an entertaining series, as both teams have plenty of skill, and they have formed a rivalry over the years. The Devils will also be looking for revenge, as the Hurricanes knocked them out of the playoffs back in 2023.
Facing the Hurricanes will be no easy task for the Devils, as they are a very talented team with plenty of depth. The Canes finished this season second in the Metropolitan Division with a 47-30-5 record and will have a home-ice advantage. The Devils, on the other hand, went 42-33-7 on the year.
With all of this, let's look at three Devils who will need to carry the team against the Canes now. Hischier will be relied upon heavily when it comes to producing offense this post-season, with fellow star Jack Hughes out. This is especially so when noting that Hischier is the club's first-line center and both their power play and penalty kill units.
Furthermore, as the team's captain, he also has the most responsibility when it comes to leadership. Hischier is also coming off a strong season with the Devils. In 75 games with the Metropolitan Division club, the 2017 first-overall pick posted scored a career-high 35 goals and recorded 69 points.
Bratt will also undoubtedly have a lot on his shoulders during the playoffs for the Devils. With Hughes out, the Devils will surely need Bratt to continue to carry their offense for them. Bratt certainly has the potential to do just that for the Devils, as he was marvelous for them this campaign.
In 81 games, he scored 21 goals and recorded new career highs with 67 assists and 88 points. If the Devils hope to get by the Hurricanes and go on a long playoff run, they will need Markstrom When playing at his best, the 35-year-old goaltender is a legitimate star, and the Devils will be hoping for him to be just that this post-season. Markstrom was one of the reasons why the Devils got back into the playoffs this year.
In his first season in New Jersey this year, he had a 26-16-6 record, a 2.50 goals-against average, a .900 save percentage, and four shutouts.
Recent Devils News New Jersey Devils Star Entering Playoffs Red-Hot While Timo Meier's numbers were a bit lower than expected for his standards this campaign, he was still one of the New Jersey Devils ' top offensive contributors. In 80 regular-season games, the 6-foot-1 winger finished third on the Devils with 26 goals and fourth on the team with 53 points. Former Devils Goalie Has Thrived With New Team During this past off-season, former New Jersey Devils goaltender Scott Wedgewood signed a two-year, $3 million contract with the Nashville Predators.
This was after the 32-year-old netminder posted a 16-7-5 record, a .899 save percentage, and a 2.85 goals-against average in 32 games with the Dallas Stars in 2023-24.
Devils Announce Roster Moves Ahead Of Playoffs The New Jersey Devils ' regular-season came to an end on April 16 with a 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Now, the playoffs are here for the Devils, and they are set to face off against the Carolina Hurricanes for Game 1 of the first round on April 20..
