N.J. Devils: Bracing For The Bolts - Round One

From the desk of:  THE BRICK CITY STYX

2017 ~ 2018

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

ROUND ONE

Game One

New Jersey Devils

vs.

Tampa Bay Lightning

FROM

Florida Ice Cooler

New Jersey Devils: The Real Season Begins Now; Can These Young Demons Fend Off The Mighty Bolts?

They say once in the tournament throw everything out the window regarding the regular season.  But do the Bolts really want to play the Devils?  Past performance says no.  New Jersey swept all three games from Tampa this season with every game being decided by one goal.

• Oct. 7      NJD 5; TBL 4 shootout
• Feb. 17    NJD 4; TBL 3
• Mar. 24    NJD 2; TBL 1

In their first meeting of the season, Cory Schneider opposed Tampa goalie Peter Budaj.  Since then New Jersey's Keith Kinkaid and Tampa's Andrei Vasilveskiy each started the next two games of the series.  The first round should be no different, as Devils coach John Hynes elects to stick with the Keith Kinkaid despite former starter Cory Schneider returning from injury back on March 1.

With a superb 44-17-3 record, Vasilveskiy tied for the league lead in goalie wins this season.  He posted a 2.62 GAA, and a .920 save percentage through 65 regular season appearances.  Tampa managed to limit scoring attempts against him at a manageable 31.8 shots on goal per game.

As noted, coach Hynes has been riding Keith Kinkaid like a mule, and the goalie responded with a March run rivaling any in the league.  He wound up edging out Cory Schneider by one game to lead the team with 41 starts.  He posted a 26-10-3 record with a 2.77 GAA, and .913 save percentage.  However, he is flashing an elevated .937 save percentage through his last fifteen games dating back to Mar. 2.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

1st Place Metropolitan Division

1st Place Eastern Conference

54-23-5 (113-points)

Nikita Kucherov takes Tampa's triple crown with 39 goals, 61 assists, and 100 points.  Steven Stamkos was right behind him with 27 goals, 59 assists, and 86 points.  The Bolts have six players with at least 20 goals, and five players over 60 points.  Yanni Gourde led the NHL with a 34 plus/minus.

NHL RANK:

• Goals For - #1
• Goals Against - #13
• Power Play - #3
• Penalty Kill  #27

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

5th Place Metropolitan Division

8th Place Eastern Conference

44-29-9 (97 points)

Taylor Hall is New Jersey's triple crown leader with 39 goals, 54 assists, and 93 points.  However, Newark's second leading scorer is rookie center Nico Hischier, who has 20 goals and 32 assists for a distant 52 points.  Kyle Palmieri is second on the team with 24 goals in just 62 games.

NHL RANK:

• Goals For - #15
• Goals Against - #17
• Power Play - #10
• Penalty Kill - #8