Boy, did the Devils ever look cooked in game 4. Following that 5-minute stanza in the 2nd period wherein the game was lost, they looked like a very defeated group – you could see it and feel it.
I know everyone says “the playoffs are different,” which is 100% true. But so different that a team that only lost TWO games by 4 or more goals over an 82-game season has now lost SIX games by 4 or more over an 11-game postseason?!
Seems crazy.
Goaltending has been BAD for the Devils this series. It was also bad in three of the Rangers series games, but the other four (the games we won), it was lights out.
A true Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde story.
And now we find ourselves down 3 games to 1 against the mighty Hurricanes.
They finished as the 2nd best team in the league, and have made the playoffs in five consecutive seasons. And it sure fuckin’ looks that way when you watch these games.
So what can the Devils do?
Fight.
Fight like hell.
And before you pull our your “in memory of the 2022-2023 New Jersey Devils” memes and begin tweeting about how bright the future is and how our window is just opening, and that we should be damn happy about how this season went, let me stop you for just one second.
Let me take you back to a few not-so-distant memories from hockey history. Apologies in advance for glorifying our rivals for a moment…
The date was May 4th, 2010 and the Philadelphia Flyers were playing the Boston Bruins in the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In game 3, the game was tied at 1 when Mike Richards came off the bench and delivered THIS HIT on David Krejci. The Bruins went on to score directly after the play and take the game 4-1 and the series lead to 3-0. But the Flyers and the fans say that was the moment that changed the tide in the series.
Krejci dislocated his right wrist and was ruled out for the remainder of playoffs.
The Flyers would go on to stave off elimination by the skin of their teeth with an overtime win in game four, and then never looked back to complete a full comeback for only the third time in league history after being down 3-0 in a series.
That catapulted the Flyers to the Stanley Cup final, but not before Richards pulled off THESE HEROICS again, dubbed “the shift” by many in game five of the Eastern Conference final to close out the Canadiens.
Even more recently, the lowly, snuck-into-the-playoffs-as-the-second-wild-card Florida Panthers were down three games to one against the historically great Boston Bruins. Truly David vs. Goliath.
They looked dead too before Matthew Tkachuk did THIS in overtime of game five.
He then went on to tell his teammates in the post-game locker room that the Panthers would be returning to Boston for game 7.
And might I remind you all, that a certain NJ Devils team from 2000 came back from a 3-1 series hole against the Philadelphia Flyers to springboard them to the 2nd ever franchise Cup. No thanks to epic performances from a young Patrik Elias.
Make no mistakes, this will take a Herculean effort to climb back into this series against the steady, disciplined, potentially superior Carolina Hurricanes.
It will take a Mike Richards effort. It will take a Matthew Tkachuk effort. It will take a Patrik Elias effort.
The team did not hold a morning skate in Raleigh this morning in order to make sure they are “fully rested, ready to lay it all on the line,” per the team.
If I’m Lindy Ruff, I’m going back to what has worked.
First of all, Akira Schmid gets the net. And furthermore, though it would be crazy to start him, I would give the backup spot to Mackenzie Blackwood.
If Akira gets pulled in this game, we are probably done. However, if for some reason the first period doesn’t go you’re way, maybe you’re down three and the game is still within reach, what good does Vanecek do for you? His game has been brutal and his confidence is shook. Blackwood becomes the only card you can play.
I’m also bringing Yegor Sharangovich to play with Jack Hughes and Jesper Boqvist to play with Palat & Haula on a very effective third line. I would scratch Tomas Tatar. I’m sorry but he just has not done enough this series.
As for defensemen, assuming Ryan Graves is available, he comes in for either Bahl or Luke Hughes, while Smith is the default odd man out. I wouldn’t be upset with Bahl or Hughes staying in the lineup, and probably would err on keeping Hughes.
Lineup aside, what kind of fight will we see?
The Devils have had some amazing individual player performances thus far in these playoffs, and I love this Devils group, I really do…
But comebacks like this take SOMEBODY.
Do they have a Matthew Tkachuk? Do they have a Mike Richards?
Shift after shift, night after night, #19 on Florida drags his teammates into the battle. He is about as thoroughbred a hockey leader as you could create in a lab. The last guy I remember looking this dominant as a leader, dragging his team into the fight every night in the NHL playoffs was another who wore #19. And he played for the Chicago Blackhawks during their reign from 2010-2015.
Do the Devils have a Jonathan Toews?
They don’t have a player wearing #19 currently, but they have one who wears #13. Leaders lead from the front. There is one flickering ember left on this team, in my opinion. That ember is Nico Hischier. Can he breathe life into this dying fire?
Time to shape that legacy, cap.
No quit. No laying down.
One shift at a time. One period at a time. One game at a time.
Let’s. Go. Devils.
Word Of The Devil 