NHL playoffs 2018: Devils vs. Lightning preview and prediction
Taylor Hall led a young Devils team back to the postseason, and they will try to do the unthinkable by defeating Cup favorites the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The New Jersey Devils were the last team to squeak into the postseason in the Eastern Conference, finishing in the second wild card position with 97 points. They take on the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference’s top seed, who ended their campaign with 113 points.
The Bolts juggernaut offense is comprised of five players who recorded more than 60 points on the season, while the Devils have just one player to achieve the feat. Top scorer Nikita Kucherov posted 100 points for the first time in his career, while Steven Stamkos came second on the team in scoring with 86 points.
The Bolts’ starting goaltender, Andrei Vasilevski, also has eight shutouts alone — that’s six more than all the Devils goalies who saw action this season.
As good as the Bolts are statistically compared to the Devils, New Jersey was not intimidated by the Bolts when they met in the regular season. That is proved by the fact that in the three times the two teams met, the Devils have a perfect 3-0 record.
Vasilevski suffered two of three losses to the Devils, while backup Petr Budaj was handed the other. Neither goaltender has a goals against average of under 3.00 or save percentage over .900 against the Devils this season. Rookie Nico Hischier and Hart Trophy candidate Taylor Hall lead the way for New Jersey in the season series, recording four and three points, respectively. For the Bolts, both Mikhail Sergachev and Steven Stamkoes had four points apiece in the season series.
Statistically speaking, the Bolts rank first in the NHL in goals for per game,13th in goals against per game and third in power play percentage, beating the Devils in all noted categories. The major statistical advantage that each team has against each other is that the Lightning’s top quality offense will be taking on the league’s 17th-best defense, while the Devils power-play, which ranks 10th in the league, is taking on the NHL’s fourth-worst penalty kill. Tampa Bay’s ranks 27th.
Next: Which Game of Thrones characters would make the best hockey players?
The Devils are a better team than most people think, and head into the playoffs winning four of their last five games. They’re not easily intimidated, and will give the Lightning a serious run for their money. In the end, however, the Bolts will be too good offensively. The Devils defense simply will not be able to contain the Lightning’s second- and third-line scoring.
Prediction: Lightning in six games.
For more from the NHL playoffs, make sure to follow FanSided and stay tuned to our NHL hub for all the latest news and results.