Major Flaws in This Devils Team as Postseason Approaches

In less than a week from now, playoff hockey returns for the Devils, fans eagerly wait as the schedule has yet to be announced. Though the playoffs are days away, the regular season still must be finished, with two games remaining for New Jersey to build off of. Ending the season off hot is much needed for a team going into the series as underdogs, but it seems New Jersey has gone on quite a slump in these last few games. Coming off of their third straight loss to the New York Islanders, New Jersey is in grave need of these last two wins if they want to gain some momentum transitioning to the playoffs. To make matters worse, they’ll be without their forward Paul Cotter due to his two-game suspension for his illegal check to Islanders forward Adam Pelech. Though these games are meaningless to New Jersey, losses like this can certainly remind fans this team still has its flaws, flaws that can certainly cost them their chance of surprising their fans with a first-round victory.

Without Their Superstar

This Devils team has very much impressed fans with their ability to clinch, especially without their first overall pick. Superstar Jack Hughes would undoubtedly make this series quite more even, but fans need to accept it: Hughes won’t be making his appearance in the postseason, no matter how far they get. Carolina, though, their superstars are ready for yet another postseason run, hoping to, at last, finish the job for the seventh straight year. This Devils team must survive the deadly attack of superstars such as Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Jaccob Slavin, all coming in with loads of postseason experience. New Jersey players such as Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, or Timo Meier must step in as the team's superstar in order to withstand such a lethal offense by Carolina.

Hamilton’s Sudden Return

Luck hasn’t been in the Devil's favor with injuries quite much this season, but at last, New Jersey catches a break with some fortunate news. Defenseman Dougie Hamilton looks to be ready to return for the start of the postseason next week, giving this Devils team some much-needed defense against Carolina. Though this is very much worth getting excited over, it's still very possible this may not change anything so quickly. When it comes to missing a few weeks due to injury, it seems quite rare for a returning player to find his groove immediately coming back on the ice. If Hamilton feels he is ready, then he is ready, though it doesn’t quite mean he is 100% again. New Jersey goaltender Jacob Markström recently went through a rough stretch coming back from his injury; it’s very much possible the 31-year-old defenseman can go through the same slump as well. In a matchup like this, anything less than an unbreakable defense looks costly, let’s hope Hamilton can bring that with his return.

Goaltending Isn’t Enough

Offense and defense must remain lethal because without it, what good is having a goaltender as good as Jacob Markström if the team simply can’t help him out. The 35-year-old goaltender has shown he remains a playoff-worthy goalie, but it all depends now on whether this Devils team is worthy of him in the playoffs. Goaltending like Markströms can very much steal this team a game or two, but it never brings you to the top. As unstoppable as Markström has been this season, he’s still a goalie that can be beaten, all of them are, so New Jersey cannot take any chances. With some lethal offense from Meier, Bratt, and Hischier, along with unbreakable defense from Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce, this team can prove very much a team worthy of Markström’s skill. Fans can expect many robberies from the Devils’ goaltender but may need to be reminded the hard way in this first round: good goaltending won’t bring you a cup, it takes everyone.

Down the Line

In the end, it’s the players on the ice that determine everything. Goaltending looks to be, at last, the only part fans can be most confident about, the guys in front of the net will need to prove they can keep up now. As key players on this Devils team showed signs of stepping up throughout the last few weeks of the season, fans can only hope they bring that momentum with them to Carolina. Hockey fans do well, never forget in playoff hockey, anything could happen, and with the building blocks of this Devils team, this postseason is very much needed, early exit or not. Players from the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs remain in Jersey, and new players have their first glimpse of the postseason, so fans can expect a battle to the end. This team may have its flaws, but the experience they gain from this dreaded first-round matchup will do nothing but make them stronger, starting the first steps of a lethal team down the line.