The New Jersey Devils are expected to be one of the best teams in an awful Metropolitan Division. This is why they can beat their rival time and time again to pile up the points and finish with a great record.
Each team in the division has at least one matchup, and some have more that the Devils can take advantage of. So, let’s look at them.
Carolina Hurricanes: Goaltending
The lingering issue with the Carolina Hurricanes is the goaltending; it’s something that’s haunted them for years now, and they never address it. They have a top 10 forward group and a top 10 defense in the league, yet lack the goaltending needed to go on a run.
The thing is that they have the elite defensive unit to make up for it, at least in the regular season. The Hurricanes rarely allow teams to beat their goaltenders or overwhelm them with high-danger shots, and it’s why they often dominate the opposition.
So, how do the Devils win these matchups against the Hurricanes, a team that eliminated them in the First Round last season after all? They must get pressure and generate multiple shots on the net. The Devils can dare the Hurricanes to make the games a high-volume shooting gallery, and it gives them the edge.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Depth
Goaltending can also be a big issue for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The problem is that this division has too many of those teams, and we’re in the content business (so we gotta mix things up). The other issue for the Blue Jackets is their depth, or lack of it.
The Blue Jackets have a great rebuild in the works (the best one, according to the rankings, which I recommend checking out). However, they must lean on their stars to win games, whether it’s Adam Fantilli in the forward unit or Zach Werenski on the defense. Their depth, meanwhile, at all three positions, remains a weakness. Beyond a few players, the Blue Jackets don’t stack up to true playoff teams yet. That’s why they’ve missed the playoffs in five straight seasons. They lack the depth to withstand an ill-timed injury.
The Devils can overwhelm the Blue Jackets down the lineup. The Devils don’t have a great depth outlook either but it’s where they can win these games. The Blue Jackets match up well with them but they’ll still have the edge.
New York Islanders: Special teams
The New York Islanders are an interesting team since every unit has its question marks, and a few issues with each stand out. Start with this: The Isles power play finished 31st in the NHL (next to worst leaguewide) at an anemic 12.6 percent. The NHL median last season was 22 percent.
OK, the Islanders struggled on the power play. Surely, the penalty kill wasn’t THAT bad, right? Alas, yes it way. The Islanders also finished 31st on the PK at 72.2 percent.
That’s a deadly combination. The Islanders may improve on both ends of special teams next season. There’s nowhere to go but up. Unfortunately, they have a very long climb to even be average. The new special teams coaches aren’t miracle workers.
Start up front. The forward group remains a question mark. It lacks elite talent, or star players who can take over games, and the depth is still a question mark.
The Devils can make these games high-scoring and win them that way when they play the Islanders. New Jersey can gash them on the rush and pressure the Islanders until Ilya Sorokin allows a few goals. It’s why the Devils are better off when these games are 5-4 or 4-3 and not 2-1 contests.
New York Rangers: Depth
The New York Rangers are becoming a stale group with the same veterans returning every season and slowly declining. They have good players but are a top-heavy group without the young talent to keep things fresh. They are suspect in terms of center depth in particular. Looking at the roster in general, the bottom six up front is unimpressive. They have lots of suspects but few proven solutions.
The Devils can exploit the lack of depth. Sure, Matt Rempe is on the fourth line and a wild card. New Jersey will have to keep their heads on a swivel for him. Otherwise, this is where the Devils must take over these games.
It’s also worth noting that the Rangers have a questionable defense. Adam Fox is great but not the same Norris-caliber blue liner, while Vladislav Gavrikov is an unknown. It’s why the Devils can overwhelm Igor Shesterkin every time they face him.
Philadelphia Flyers: Goaltending and Special Teams
The weakness that’s cost the Philadelphia Flyers in recent seasons, at least as the big issue, has been the goaltending. It might have been the worst unit in the NHL last season, with Samuel Ersson being the only NHL-caliber goaltender of the group.
For the Devils, if they can get the pucks on the net, they’ll beat this Flyers team. Sure, the Flyers have a promising rebuild in the works but until they prove they can keep the puck out of the net (with an Ersson and Dan Vladar duo), teams will just fire away at them, and the Devils will be no exception.
Another Philadelphia issue: chronic power play struggles. The Philly PK is generally solid. However, the power play struggles year after year. The Devils match up well to Philly at 5-on-5. Consequently, the Flyers struggle to make up the difference when they need a power play goal.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Everything
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Pittsburgh Penguins have the worst team in the NHL, or at least set up that way on paper. They have glaring needs everywhere, and teams will run up the score on them. It’s part of the growing pains of a rebuild, and the Devils must pile up the wins against them as a result.
Washington Capitals: Defense
The Washington Capitals, on the other hand, don’t have a lot of issues. They burst on the scene last season with a great team from the top down and look poised to be near the top of the division again. The two things that do stand out are their depth on defense and their age overall.
So, if the Devils pick up the pace on the rush and look for quality shots in the offensive zone, they’ll beat the Capitals. They’ll probably be in a fight with them all season for the second or even the best record, so winning these matchups will be pivotal.
