The New Jersey Devils are playing great, showing strong offensive performances, high-scoring games, and finding ways to finish games in the win column. The question must be asked: Is it too late for this team?
The Devils have played 71 of the 82 regular-season games this year. The team currently has a record of 37-32-2 and 76 points.
The team has won five of its last seven games, but it still sits in seventh in the Metropolitan, five points behind the Washington Capitals.
As of Friday, MoneyPuck gives the Devils a 0.5% chance of making the playoffs.
The only team with a worse chance, that isn’t already eliminated, is the Calgary Flames, who have a 0.1% chance to make the postseason.
Since returning from the Olympic break, the Devils have played well, but they still find themselves on the verge of missing another postseason. The team has only seen four postseasons since 2009-10. They were in 2011-12, 2017-18, 2022-23, and 2024-25.
The Devils added another win to their record on Thursday evening, securing a 4-2 win over the Nashville Predators, but their postseason chances remain slim.
With 11 games left and only a 0.5% playoff chance, should the Devils begin preparing for next season?
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