Preposterous, yes. Impossible, no. After all, the Devils have just accomplished what they must do the rest of the way.
After losing a creditable game in Detroit before the All-Star break, the Devils stand 6-1-1 in their past eight. If they can match that record for every eight-game stretch, starting tonight when the Senators visit Prudential, and they beat Boston in their season finale, they will have 89 points, which may be barely enough to make their 14th straight playoffs.
“It’s possible because we just did it,” Travis Zajac said. “It’s a long way away still. We haven’t been thinking about the standings or the playoffs, just about playing well and the wins have been taking care of themselves.
“That has to continue to be our mentality, to continue to get wins and be competitive to the end.”
They’d be the hottest team in the NHL and likely have Zach Parise back in their lineup, and could do major damage.
If. And that’s not just a Big If. That’s a Record If.
“That’s our goal. We have 33 games to get the most points we can,” Ilya Kovalchuk said. “We’ll see. We’ll give it a push.
“We want to be a hard team to play against.”
Since the NHL went to the current intra-conference playoff format in 1994, no team has come from more than 12 points out to make postseason, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The 1994 Islanders were that example, swept by the Rangers in the first round. The Thrashers are on course for 88 points while the Hurricanes are on a 90-point pace.
The Devils stood 27 points out on Jan. 8, and they still have to get out of the NHL’s cellar before they can dream of anything more. Every team they face has had a better season than they have had. They still have two games each with Atlanta, Boston, Florida, Montreal, Tampa and Toronto, and three each with Carolina, the Isles, Rangers, Senators and Penguins. The have one game apiece with Buffalo, Columbus, Dallas, Philly, San Jose and Washington.
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Devils coach Jacques Lemaire bemoaned his team’s mental and physical states yesterday after the first practice since All-Star break. … Colin White (lower body) remains sidelined and will not play tonight, and Mark Fayne sat out practice ill. Patrik Elias was excused from practice because he played in the All-Star Game on Sunday. … Martin Brodeur is expected to face Ottawa.