Why The New Jersey Devils WILL Make the Playoffs

The Devils are on a remarkable 20-2-2 run, which begs the question: Can they keep this up and make history by making the playoffs?  They have 17 games remaining and are currently sitting 8 points out of the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.  They are in 12th, which means there are teams in front of them who are also battling for that final spot.  Actually, there are really 4 teams fighting for the final two spots in the East.  They are as follows:

New York Rangers 74 points with 14 games remaining
Buffalo Sabres 72 points with 17 games remaining
Carolina Hurricanes 71 points with 16 games remaining
Toronto Maple Leafs 67 points with 16 games remaining

Then you have the Atlanta Thrashers, but you can basically dismiss them because they have been playing so poorly of late that they really stand no chance.  But now you also have to add a fifth team.  That being the New Jersey Devils:

New Jersey Devils 64 points with 17 games remaining

24 games ago the Devils were 27 points out of the playoffs.  Now after going 20-2-2 the team finds themselves only 8 points back.  If they were to make the playoffs they would make history as the team that came from the furthest amount of points back from the playoffs to turn their season around and make the postseason.  This record would likely never be broken.

What Do They Have To Do?

Let’s take a look at the two teams they are chasing.  If you use each contending teams point percentage to this point in the season and assume that they will continue at this pace we can figure out how many points the Devils may need to pass these teams.

The New York Rangers earn an average of (74/68 = 1.088) points per game they play, which means they will finish the season with ~89 points.
The Sabres have more games in hand and will finish the season with ~91 points.

This means the Rangers will be more likely to be caught and if these two teams maintain their current winning percentages the Devils will need 89 points to make the playoffs (because the Devils would own the tie breaker having won more games in regulation or overtime).

Therefore, in their final 17 games if the Devils go something like (12-4-1) they will achieve this 89 point objective.  But to be more certain of making the playoffs (any of the four teams ahead of them could also get hot and push up the magic number to gain playoff entry) the Devils may need to go around (13-2-2) for 92 points.  This is a very difficult pace to maintain, but looking at their schedule the Devils play 5 very winnable games, which could put them right in the thick of things.  The Devils play the struggling Thrashers and Senators twice, and the not struggling, but still very beatable Islanders once.  If they can come out of these 5 games with 10 points (very possible considering their current streak along with each of these teams abilities) the Devils will likely only be around 4 points out of 8th position.  From then on they will hold more of their fate because they have a game against the Sabres remaining and a game against the Rangers in their 81st game of the season, which could very well determine their playoff fate.

I’m a believer….are you?

**In other betting news, namely horse racing you will be able to place Grand National bets very soon on the upcoming April 9th race (coincidentally the same day the Rangers vs Devils matchup takes place).  Kentucky Derby betting will also start to heat up soon for the May 7th race.

Daniel Sedin for the Art Ross

With about 20 games left in the regular season the Art Ross hunt is on.  At the moment it looks like Daniel Sedin or Steven Stamkos should be able to take down the prize at the end of the season.  At the time of this post Daniel is leading the league with 79 points, while Stamkos is just one behind at 78.  Stamkos also has two games in hand, which actually has him if you expect him to keep his pace for the remainder of the season.  Third and fourth positions are held by Martin St. Louis and Henrik Sedin, not coincidentally line mates of the top two contenders.  Then there is a large drop off to find Zetterberg with 69 points.  The fact that Stamkos will get points on a lot of the same goals as St. Louis and the same goes for the Sedin twins, it will be very difficult for them to catch up, so this should be two horse race down the stretch.

My money is on Daniel and here is why:

Why Daniel Will Win

• Daniel and Stamkos have both slowed down and each have only 6 points in their last 8 games.  That being said Daniel is a much more consistent producer and has never had a stretch of two games without a point this season.   He is on one of these two game stretches at the moment.
• Henrik won it last year and being the good twin that he is, will go out of his way to ensure his brother wins the Art Ross this year.  This includes passing up on scoring opportunities if Daniel has not touched the puck on the play.  I watched a Canucks game a few days ago and it was already evident that Henrik was doing more than he should have been to get his brother the puck.  This could be a detriment, but I think Henrik has the skill necessary to help his brother get points more often than not.
• Stamkos is almost a lock for the Maurice Richard.  He doesn’t need both…enough said.  It’s been three years since someone (Ovechkin) won both the Maurice and Art Ross.
• It would make for a great story.  Who doesn’t like a great story.  One twin wins it one year, then the other follows suit the next.  The Sedins do everything together, why not have matching Art Ross trophies as well.

**Take Daniel on your nightly FanDuel NHL fantasy teams down the stretch.  Henrik picked it up in the last few games last year and I expect the same from Daniel.

In all honesty Crosby should have won this award hands down.  He was having a tremendous season and he didn’t even have a sidekick like each of these stellar players have in Henrik and St Louis.  But alas a concussion has taken him out of a good portion of the season and we might not even see him back this year.  This gets me to my next point.

How Players Can Sustain a Full NHL Season

Staying healthy for a full NHL season is tough and if you want to win a scoring championship it is almost a must to play every single game during the year.  One way players stay healthy is by sticking to a hockey meal plan that is built according to the sport and meant to allow them to perform at the highest level every night.  Protein is a key ingredient in the diets of professional hockey players and one supplement that is key is Whey Protein for hockey players constantly replenishing muscles.  Every top NHL player puts their health at a premium.  It’s not easy playing NHL games 3 times a week.