3 X-Factors for the New Jersey Devils Against the New York Rangers
The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers officially start their series in just a few hours. It will be the first time fans see the Battle of the Hudson since the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals when the Devils took the series in six games.
The Devils put together their highest point total in franchise history this season, surpassing the iconic 2000-01 team that recorded 111 points. In the 2022-23 NHL season, ‘Jersey finished with 52 wins (new franchise record) and 112 points, finishing second in the Metropolitan Division behind the Carolina Hurricanes.
As for the players, four different skaters recorded 70+ points, with superstar Jack Hughes leading the way, becoming the single-season points record holder for the organization, usurping legend Patrik Elias’ previous best of 96 points as Hughes recorded 43 goals and 56 assists in 78 games played.
Despite a historic performance in the regular season, the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs won’t be a walk in the park. The New York Rangers had a strong season in their own respect, putting together 47 wins and 107 points, finishing third in the Metropolitan.
The Rangers were also one of the most active teams at the NHL trade deadline, acquiring notable skaters Patrick Kane, Vladimir Taresenko, and Tyler Motte (again).
All of this goes without even mentioning the difference in playoff experience between these two teams, as the New Jersey Devils are lacking mightily in this category with just a handful of players playing at least one series in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the New York Rangers are coming off a 4-2 series loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago and have remained the majority of that core.
With all of this being said, let’s take a look at the 3 X-Factors for the New Jersey Devils as they get ready to take on their historic rival, the New York Rangers in what could be one of the most exciting first-round matchups in Stanley Cup Playoffs history.
No. 3 – Luke Hughes
Defenseman Luke Hughes is one of a few aces up the sleeve of the New Jersey Devils. Despite only playing 2 career games, the third Hughes brother was definitely born to be in the spotlight.
During the 2022-23 season, Luke played for the University of Michigan Wolverines and put together an astounding 10 goals (3 of them highlight-reel game-winners) and 38 assists in 39 games played, finishing 7th in the NCAA with 48 points. Did we mention he’s a defenseman?
What makes Luke Hughes our No. 3 X-Factor is the fact that there’s no film on him. This makes it almost impossible for the New York Rangers to put together a quality scouting report on the 19-year-old defenseman.
To have an idea of the kind of impact that Luke Hughes can have for the Devils in their first-round matchup against the Rangers, take a look at his performance in the season closer versus the Washington Capitals where he notched both his first goal and assist of his NHL career.
His goal was the game-winner in overtime, weaving his way through three Capitals players, toe-dragging past Alex Ovechkin in the slot, and swiveling around the back of the net for a wrap-around to complete the Devils’ comeback after being down 4-2 to start the 3rd period.
Luke’s offensive skillset will add serious firepower to a rather reserved New Jersey blue line coming in as a viable two-way threat defenseman. As we’ve seen in past years with college players hopping in the lineup for playoffs (e.g. Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche), Luke can jump straight into the matchup and serve as a potent threat on the backend for ‘Jersey.
No. 2 – Vitek Vanecek
The biggest difference maker between this season and last for the Devils has easily been goaltending. General Manager Tom Fitzgerald made sure to make this team more competitive by bringing in a quality netminder. Enter Vitek Vanecek.
In just his third season in the NHL, Vitek put together a very respectable .911 SV% and 2.45 goals against average in 52 games played facing 25.6 shots per game. The goaltender also notched three assists on the year, the first of his career (not a big deal).
Vitek is the No. 2 X-Factor for the New Jersey Devils solely because goaltending is the difference between an early and a short summer. We all know what this Devils team is capable of, but it’s all for naught if the goalie can’t stop the puck.
Vitek Vanecek is also one of only a handful of Devils players to have played a game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, albeit being only three games played in 2021 and 2022 for the Washington Capitals.
Facing a New York Rangers team that finished with the No. 7 powerplay (24.08%) in the league and had scored 273 goals in 2022-23 (12th in the NHL), Vitek will face the task of having to steal a game or two in the seven-game series.
If there is one question mark in this New Jersey Devils’ lineup, it’s between the pipes. In the three games the Czechia netminder played in, he was absolutely shelled. To say that any experience is good experience may not be applicable in this regard. In order for the Devs to make a statement in the playoffs, Vitek Vanecek will need to steal the show.
No. 1 – Lindy Ruff
New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff is the No. 1 X-Factor in their series against the New York Rangers in the first round of the 2022-23 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
It says a lot about a persion’s character that when faced with boos raining from thousands of disrgruntled fans chanting “fire Lindy”, you’re not only able to keep your cool, but lead your team to the most wins in franchise history.
Lundy Ruff is enterring the playoffs with a massive chip on his shoulder and he has coached his team to play with this same energy; as underdogs. This is the energy of Newark, New Jersey and the Devils wear it on their sleeve.
However, there is one cause for concern when it comes to Lindy Ruff’s coaching, and it’s his tendency to shuffle lineups on a nightly basis.
Lindy’s coaching technique is taylored towards rewarding players for good performence and playing the hot hand to get the win. With 52 wins on the year, its been pretty, pretty successful thus far. Though the playoffs are a different animal.
In a seven game series, shuffling lines on a nightly basis can not only fail to produce chemistry, but it can damage a player’s confidence when they’re not playing a consistent role each night. This was a major adjustment for star Timo Meier in particular, who was acquired from the San Jose Sharks via a blockbuster trade.
Since then, Meier has found his stride with the Devs and all seems fine for now. To look in a more positive lens, Lindy Ruff not only stuck through a rocky start to the season, but he flipped the team around overnight and came within two points of leading the Metropolitan Division.
These 3 X-Factors will be the difference between succeeding or failing the first real test of this team. We’ll find out soon enough on Tuesday night for Game 1 of the first-round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers in the much anticipated Battle of the Hudson.