The month of December will tell us everything we need to know about the New Jersey Devils.
There’s an old saying – you don’t find out much about a team when everything’s going well. But you find out a lot when they have their backs against the wall. The New Jersey Devils find themselves on the ropes already, as they’re currently in last place in the Metropolitan Division.
Even though the Devils are just two points out of a playoff spot, it’s worth noting the Atlantic Division holds both wild card spots. So they might need to finish in the top three of the Metropolitan Division in order to make a return to the postseason.
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The Devils have their backs against the wall right now. And the month of December should predict how the rest of the season will go. If the Devils manage to do well in December, there’s no reason they shouldn’t find themselves in the playoff hunt. But if they don’t, it might be time for New Jersey to start selling.
Rocky Road
For better or for worse, the Devils can’t hide from this tough month. They face a number of very good teams. In December, the Devils will play 14 games in 31 days. They’ve already played three of them and have a 1-1-1 record thus far. The Devils have lost to the Winnipeg Jets in overtime, gotten blown out by the Tampa Bay Lightning, and have blown out the Los Angeles Kings.
Their remaining 11 games won’t get any easier. Of their remaining games in December, eight of them are against teams either in the postseason or extremely close to it. Five of those eight games will be played away from home. This is significant because the Devils have won just three of their 14 road games this season.
The Devils will have to endure three series of games on consecutive days. Of this series of six games, five of them will be against contenders. Only one of those five games against postseason teams will be at home.
In order to have success in December, the Devils will have to dig deep. They’ll have to channel last season’s team, who weren’t afraid of playing on the road. In 2017-18, the Devils lost just 15 road games in regulation. Thus far, they’ve already lost 10. The magic from last season is gone. It’s up to the Devils to create their own magic and find a way to persevere through a gruelling, tough month