Playoffs A Vague Possibility for New Jersey Devils?

By: Eva Morreale

The Devil’s win against the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday marked not only the teams 5^th win out of their past 6 games, but also coach Jacques Lemaire’s 600^th career win. With momentum at a high will New Jersey capitalize on their streak or fall by the wayside on the ever approaching road to a playoff season?

In this game particularly, the team’s newfound zest and cooperative spirit was evident. Constant motion (and constant fouls) between the two teams made for a thrilling match, leading eventually into overtime with New Jersey coming out on top.

It may be a bit premature to make playoff predictions but with continuous play like the kind displayed in the past month, it may just be achievable. Of note: on record, the lowest cumulative score that a team has entered playoffs with was 88, the Devil’s are currently 42 points shy of that goal.

As April rapidly approaches, could the Devil’s procure a playoff entry? Their future remains to be unseen with their current position being second to last in the Eastern conference.

As for Lemaire, a legend both on and off the ice, his 600^th win makes him just the 8^th in the league to do so. In his 17 years coaching in the NHL, Lemaire has headed the Devils for 5 seasons, leading them to the 1995 Stanley Cup Championship.

If the 2010-2011 season could yield the same results (big if) it’d signal a complete comeback for the team as a franchise. However, in its current standings the team deserves commendations for its huge turnaround, not only for its ability to score led by “$100 million dollar man” Ilya Kovalchuk, but for the entirety of its offensive being in top form.

The New Jersey Devils face the San Jose Sharks Friday, February 11^th.