Here are my quick hits following the Devils’ 5-3 W in CHI, heading into tonight’s game in WPG:
Let the DAWG out in the Windy City
Hey everyone, it’s great to be back after a three-game hiatus from our MSGSN broadcasts, and boy, what a critical win it was for this team in Chicago to avoid an ugly four-game winless streak. The DAWG stole the show in this one, first by scoring a nearly identical goal to one he scored in the Devils’ last visit to Chicago (see below) before he ultimately ended the night with the first multi-PPG game of his career. Dawson now has 5 Goals & an assist in the Devils’ 6-game W streak vs. CHI dating back to 2022. Great stuff!
Balanced Production
As soon as everyone learned Jack and Dougie would be out of the lineup for extended periods of time, it was no secret that every guy in that room was going to have to do their part to chip in offensively if this team wanted to do damage down the stretch. Well, so far, that’s exactly what we’ve seen. Different players up and down the lineup are stepping up to the plate at key moments, and the win in CHI was a prime example of that. Of the four different NJD goal scorers in this game specifically, each and every one of them snapped an extended personal goal drought: Bastian (18 GP), Mercer (7 GP), Palat (11 GP), and Noesen (13 GP). Hopefully, this game goes a long way, confidence-wise, for this group of forwards, with the task of solving the best defensive team and goaltender next up!
WPG Pre-Scout
Make no mistake about it; tonight's game is going to be a gut-check moment for the Devils, going straight from playing the second-worst team based on PTS% to the second-best with CHI & WPG. Not only is this a WPG team that is extremely well-oiled in every facet of the game (looking like a true cup contender all season long), but they also happen to be coming off arguably their most galvanizing game of the season on Tuesday, when they clinched the playoffs at home with an OT winner vs. WSH. Look, if you’re the Devils, you’re going to have to prove you’re a much better team than you were back on Trade Deadline Day when WPG ran you out of your own building.
Playoff Outlook
Before closing out this article, here’s a quick outlook on the updated playoff picture, with the Devils still sitting comfortably in that third divisional spot in the Metro. Rachel and I will dive deep into it all during tonight’s pregame show, but the overarching message for the Devils in the final 9 games is simple: Play .500 hockey. If they can complete this task — and assuming they’d finish with 38 regulation wins (tiebreaker) in doing so — the Devils would finish the season with 92 points. As for the teams chasing them, NYI and CBJ both can only max out with 36 and 35 regulation wins, respectively, while NYR can max out at 41 regulation wins but has less runway. Realistically, 92 PTS would be a very safe benchmark for the Devils, seeing these other teams would need to go on extreme tears to out the Devils in the case they go, say, 4-4-1 in their last 9 GP.
Be sure to join Rachel and me on tonight’s pregame show as we break down the W in CHI, the last meeting with WPG, NJD’s balanced offensive production without Jack and Dougie, defensive lapses without Siegs, and the playoff outlook for the rest of the season. It all starts at 7:30 p.m. on MSGSN!
Let’s Go Devils!
-Sal
