The New Jersey Devils are playoff-bound as of Wednesday night, clinching a berth while idle after the Philadelphia Flyers beat the New York Rangers 8-5.
The Devils return to the postseason for the first time since 2022-23, after team president Tom Fitzgerald spent last offseason bringing in new coach Sheldon Keefe as well as multiple key contributors, including goalie Jacob Markstrom; defensemen Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon and Jonathan Kovacevic; and forwards Stefan Noesen and Paul Cotter. It will only be the Devils’ third time in the playoffs since their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011-12.
Based on the current Eastern Conference standings, New Jersey is guaranteed to play the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. It’s a rematch of the Devils’ 2022-23 second-round series, which they lost in five games after edging out the Rangers in the first round in a winner-take-all Game 7.
New Jersey will have a tough test in the Hurricanes, in large part due to injuries: Star forward Jack Hughes (shoulder) is out until the start of next season, and top defenseman Dougie Hamilton (lower body) will miss the rest of the regular season and at least the start of the playoffs. Jonas Siegenthaler (lower body) also suffered an injury that ended his regular season in early February.
“We’ve obviously done a lot of good throughout the season with the hand we’ve been dealt,” Dillon said Tuesday.
With Hughes out, winger Jesper Bratt and captain Nico Hischier have been the team’s top offensive players. Bratt is enjoying a second consecutive point-per-game season, and Hischier has posted a career high in goals. On defense, Luke Hughes and Pesce are both playing more than 21 minutes a night.
To further help fill the injury void, Fitzgerald acquired defenseman Brian Dumoulin and forwards Cody Glass and Daniel Sprong at the deadline. Those players aren’t close to replacing the likes of Hughes, Hamilton and Siegenthaler, but they at least give the Devils less of a tattered roster entering the playoffs.
With a 24-14-3 record, New Jersey was second in points in the Eastern Conference on New Years’ Day. The Devils then went 13-14-4 to start 2025, dropping them to third in the Metropolitan Division standings. But they righted the ship in recent weeks, winning four of their next six and putting themselves in position to clinch.
“I feel good about our group but we’ve got some work left to be done,” Keefe said Tuesday.
(Photo: Ed Mulholland / Imagn Images)