Devils' Smith and Lazar Share Insight Into the Importance of Physical Play in Postseason

Can the New Jersey Devils handle the physicality of a seven-game playoff series? 

It is one of the only questions surrounding the team as they prepare for their first playoff appearance since the 2017-18 season.  

They will face the New York Rangers in the first round and are considered to be one of the most highly anticipated matchups to start the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

The team held its first postseason practice on April 15 at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House. After 45 minutes the players entered the locker room and fielded questions from various media members. 

Knowing the team's lack of physicality is a hot topic among fans leading up to Game 1, I sought out veteran defenseman Brendan Smith and forward Curtis Lazar who have a combined 80 games of playoff experience.  

I asked Smith if he believes the Devils are physical enough as they head into the postseason. 

"I think we can always be more physical, and you find out in the playoffs because it's a little bit different," said Smith. "We'll definitely be vocal if we're not because you need to be physical or you will not win. Trust me." 

While standing at his stall, Smith and I took a few minutes to look back on the league's recent winners to see if any of them out-skilled their opponent to win the Stanley Cup without having a physical element to their game. 

"I would say (the Colorado Avalanche) were pretty big. Their third and fourth lines are pretty physical," he said. "You need to have that to make a run. Tampa was definitely physical and St. Louis was definitely physical. I think that a lot of times it does come into play."

The veteran defenseman went as far back as the Los Angeles Kings during their reign and even noted that the Chicago Blackhawks had Bryan Bickell, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Johnny Oduya.

"I can't really think of a team that just really out-skilled (their opponent) in the salary cap era," said Smith.

Without question, New York is more physical than New Jersey entering this first-round series. 

Over the regular season, the Rangers had 1,978 hits, which was about 24 hits per game, while the Devils had 1,366 hits, which on average was 16 hits per game. Of course, Jacob Trouba led the way for head coach Gerard Gallant's team with 218 hits while Michael McLeod led all Devils skaters with 127. 

On March 3, 2023, New Jersey acquired Curtis Lazar from the Vancouver Canucks. The 28-year-old has 24 playoff games under his belt, most recently with the Boston Bruins. He takes pride in his physical game but also understands the importance of a team sticking to its strengths in the postseason. 

"You don't want to change the way you play when you've had success so when you go into playoffs, you want to stay true to who you are," said Lazar. "Speed is this team's element."

When it comes to playing a physical game, the Devils aren't expecting their teammates to replicate Scott Steven's open ice hits of the early 2000s. It goes back to what Miles Wood said at the beginning of the season and players finishing their checks and simply being hard to play against, and Smith agrees.

"It doesn't have to be hard-hitting, it just needs to be physical," said Smith. "I mean a lot of times if you're just looking for big hits sometimes you're out of position, but you have to finish your check."

Lazar emphasized the importance of that first puck drop in Game 1 and referenced that during his time in Boston, each game began with each team's fourth line battling it out and setting the tempo before the skill guys came out and took over. 

The coaching staff can make tweaks to the system as the series progresses, but as Lazar pointed out multiple times during our conversation, it's about sticking with what you know. 

"Adjustments happen throughout, but it's been a great season here. Don't try to reinvent the wheel."