Stanley Cup Playoffs 2018: New Jersey Devils are dangerous dark horses
The New Jersey Devils are the underdogs of the Stanley Cup Playoffs 2018
Each year, the Stanley Cup Playoffs provides some incredible moments. There’s almost always at least one team who nobody expects to do much who nearly go on to win the title. Last year, that team was the Ottawa Senators. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs 2018, the New Jersey Devils appear to be dangerous underdogs.
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why Jersey could be the home for the NHL’s next Cinderella story.
An Odd Trend
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History, surprisingly, is on the Devils’ side. In each of the past two seasons, a Metropolitan wild-card team has upset the Atlantic Division champions. The New York Rangers took out the Montreal Canadiens last season while the New York Islanders beat the Florida Panthers in 2016.
Guess who the Devils are playing the first-round? The Tampa Bay Lightning, who won the Atlantic Division. If history repeats itself, the Devils will be the biggest benefactors. New Jersey has a real shot of being Tampa Bay too. They have more on their side than just history.
Perfect Matchup
The Devils did very well against the Lightning this season. They went 3-0-0 against Tampa Bay and outscored them 10-8 during the regular season if you exclude a shootout goal that isn’t actually a goal. The Devils beat Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy twice.
New Jersey will be the underdogs when they face Tampa. And for good reason. But this has to be the perfect matchup for the Devils. They know they can beat them. The Lightning will be motivated, but they’ve had trouble matching the Devils’ speed. With the way Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier, and Patrick Maroon have been playing lately, Tampa Bay will have their hands full.
Ultimate Underdogs
Another thing to like about New Jersey is they did extremely well this season against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Who, barring a massive upset, will be their second-round opponent should they upset the Lightning.
The Devils went 3-0-1 against the Pens this season, including an overtime win. They outscored them 10-6 during those three wins. Their lone loss to the Penguins came in overtime. Considering Pittsburgh is such a fast team, it’s odd why they’ve had so much trouble with the Devils.
But whatever the reason, the Devils are probably the one team who could play the Penguins and not be scared of them. That’s probably the one thing New Jersey has on their side. They’ve played like they have nothing to lose.
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The Devils might have a different supporting cast than last year’s Senators. But Hall is quite capable of reprising Erik Karlsson’s role as “dominant force of nature”. Both teams have dealt with off-the-ice tribulations. The Senators dealt with Craig Anderson’s wife having cancer. Brian Boyle was diagnosed with cancer less than a month before the season started.
Need another reason to root for them? Their goalie took someone out to Chipotle after she asked him out on Twitter. How can you not love that? Embrace the Devils. No matter how far they make it in the postseason, they’re going to be a lot of fun to watch.
Check out our Stanley Cup Playoffs 2018 hub page for more coverage!