After an embarrassing loss earlier this week, the New Jersey Devils have four games left in the regular season. They need to put together some wins and build some momentum to make a wave to ride in the playoffs.
After a drubbing from the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night, the New Jersey Devils still locked up a playoff spot yesterday thanks to one set of rivals beating up another set of rivals. With the third spot in the Metropolitan Division now unattainable by any team chasing them, the Devils are locked into third place as they return to the postseason. With the division leading Washington Capitals too far ahead for anyone to catch, that means the Devils are locked into a first round dance with the team that eliminated them in 2023: the Carolina Hurricanes.
The narrative are already out there of course. Fans of other teams (and even some who claim to be Devils fans) are already saying the Devils are an easy play in round one. That without Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler, the Devils don’t stand a chance. I’m not coming to you here today to guarantee a Devils first round win; honestly there’s always the chance for an upset, that’s why the games are played. The Devils (especially with injuries) may not be as good as Carolina on paper, but if they pick up some momentum in the final four games and bring that with them into the playoffs, perhaps they could make some noise.
Firstly, the Devils need to figure out what’s up with their goaltending over the next week. With Jacob Markstrom’s early season play, that concern seemed assuaged, but then his injury happened and while there was optimism he was past it, Tuesday’s game again Boston happened. Some of the blame lies with the defending, but some of those goals were downright bad shots to be letting into the net. With Utica being mathematically eliminated from the AHL playoffs, I expect the Devils to call up some players to the NHL roster for the postseason. Perhaps having Nico Daws in the fold along with Jake Allen will give the Devils someone they can turn to if Markstrom falters.
Hopefully he doesn’t. Hopefully, the Devils start to realize how they need to play with three of their bigger names out of the lineup. I mean, they should have done that already, but for one reason or another it hasn’t all come together yet. And while there’s a chance for at least one return (looks like Hamilton could be ready soon), it’s not a panacea for the ails of the team. I do think though that the Devils could go further than people think if they can string some wins together to close out the regular season and build some confidence.
The Carolina Hurricanes are a good team, but they’re not some unbeatable juggernaut. Heck, they’re only 7 points above the Devils and while the Devils last game wasn’t great, Carolina is doing a bit worse right now. They’ve lost their last three in a row, including a 5-1 game against the same Bruins team, and a 3-0 shutout loss to Buffalo. Neither Boston nor Buffalo are revered for their defending or goaltending this season, so maybe, just maybe, Carolina is going cold at the right time for us and wrong time for them. Additionally, both team are fairly close in terms of goals for and against, so all it would take is one team getting going at the right time.
And that’s why it is imperative the Devils finish the next four games strong. Take all three home contests convincingly and go get revenge on Boston in their house. Encourage Timo Meier, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt to shoot as much as they want; get pucks on net and have support players like Stefan Noesen and Dawson Mercer crash the net and cash some pucks in. Make sure the defense is covering the right spots and playing odd man rushes correctly if they happen. Figure out the goaltending, one way or another; if Markstrom still seems off, give someone else the net and bring him in if they struggle. The team has been inconsistent all of 2025 up to this point; maybe putting together a four game win streak to close out the campaign would be the way to propel the team in the right direction.
One last point today as well: the Devils and Canes split their season series, with each team winning their pair of games on their home ice. All it takes is the Devils to defend The Rock and steal one on the road to take the series. This group has shown a lot of heart and a willingness to battle for each other at times this season. Put it all together and win some games/series when it matters the most, both in this last stretch and when the playoffs are on. Remember what a sixth seeded Devils team did in 2012; what’s to stop the 2025 version from being the team to do it again?
What are your thoughts on the Devils needing momentum heading into the playoffs? Do you think it will help the team to play stronger against Carolina? Do you think momentum is overrated? How confident are you in the Devils chances against Carolina whether they finish strongly or not? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading!