Devils coach John Hynes won't admit to scoreboard watching.
"You can only focus your energy on so many things," Hynes said following New Jersey's 4-3 overtime loss to Pittsburgh at the Prudential Center on Thursday night. "To scoreboard watch -- it really does no good. On a night off, you can sit there in front of your TV and you can watch it and you can be stressed out. For us, it's about using our energy in the right way. We understand you've got to win to get in."
In theory, he doesn't have to pay attention to the scoreboard, since the Devils control their own destiny heading into the final week of the regular season. Win out those final five games and New Jersey will be playoff bound for the first time in six years.
The Devils are currently in the eighth and final postseason slot after Thursday's defeat ended their three-game winning streak. Ninth-place Florida is three points behind with one game in hand. Columbus and Philadelphia are close enough to be on the Devils' radar, with New Jersey owning a game in hand on each club to make up four points and three points, respectively.
MORE: Schwei's Devils Notes: Nico Hischier On Verge Of Joining Exclusive Club
For the Devils to break through, the following must happen:
1) No Letdowns!
The Devils are on a 6-2-1 roll after completing the scariest schedule portion of their season. It included wins over Nashville, Vegas, Los Angeles, Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh -- Stanley Cup contenders all.
Next up are the Islanders, Canadiens and Rangers, all of whom are under .500. The Rangers especially would love nothing more than to ensure that the Devils join them on the golf course after next weekend and will definitely get up for Tuesday's game at the Rock.
The Devils are not good enough to bank points by playing down to their competition. They barely escaped from Tuesday's home affair against Carolina, needing a late Stefan Noesen goal to squeak out a 3-2 victory. Any stumble here would be devastating.
2) Keith Kinkaid's Clock Never Strikes Midnight
It's back-patting time, since I had an early hunch that Kinkaid would step up in goal after entrenched starter Cory Schneider's game went south after Christmas. Kinkaid is 17-7-2 in 2018, making the big saves at key times. Sidney Crosby's swat of a midair puck after his initial shot ringed off the post was the first time Kinkaid was beaten in 11 extra periods this season.
"Those things happen. He's a great player," Kinkaid said of Crosby, who went down like he was shot in the chest after Devils center Travis Zajac's check late in the third period only to "miraculously" return without missing a shift. "It was a baseball goal, not a hockey goal."
Kinkaid has already started 11 more games than his previous career high set last season, and he's never been this spectacular. The Devils, however, have no choice but to ride him the rest of the way.
3) Special Special Teams
Since adding Michael Grabner in a trade with the Rangers on Feb. 22, the Devils have seen a slight bump in their penalty kill rate to 82.9 percent, good for 12th in the league in that span.
The power play, meanwhile, has been firing on all cylinders after Devils general manager Ray Shero acquired net front presence Patrick Maroon from Edmonton on Feb. 26. The Devils possess the league's third-best power-play conversion rate at 28.9 percent since Maroon's arrival.
As games get more intense, the special teams will play an increasingly important role in the outcomes.
4) Supplementary Scoring
Hart Trophy candidate Taylor Hall is on another tear, with 10 points (three goals, seven assists) during a six-game point streak, which commenced just four games after his Devils-record 26-game point streak ended. Kyle Palmieri is also red-hot, with 16 goals in 29 games since the All-Star break.
In other words, the Devils' top line, centered by 19-year-old rookie Nico Hischier, has been a consistent threat, with the three players aggregating 43 goals in those 29 games.
The rest of the forward group has combined to produce 36 goals in the same span. The Devils need more.
The so-called checking line of Zajac between Blake Coleman and Noesen has been the only other unit that has had any recent success finding the twine. Early-season sensations such as Miles Wood (four goals in his last 24 games) and Jesper Bratt (one in 25 games) have been conspicuously absent from the scoresheets on too many nights.
Hynes concurred that the team needs secondary scoring but also insisted that he has been satisfied with the way his other lines are performing.
"They're playing the game the right way," Hynes said. "They have talent, they have skill, but they really work the right way. And through their tenacity, through their speed, their work ethic, the decisions they make, they put themselves in situations where they can score. We know -- and they know as players -- that they have the talent to put the puck in the net."
5) The Defense Can't Rest
Nothing draws Hynes' ire like soft plays, which he believed were at the root of Thursday's loss. The Devils sometimes get a little loose with and without the puck, and have been very fortunate that Kinkaid has bailed them out on most of those instances.
While Sami Vatanen, another Shero in-season trade acquisition, has emerged as a workhorse, partner Andy Greene has been less consistent. Damon Severson is absolutely terrifying on the second pair with John Moore, while Will Butcher, who set the Devils record for assists by a rookie defenseman, has a lot to learn about his defensive responsibilities.
The Devils have gotten into this position by being a hard team to play against. They have made up for their deficiencies on the back end by committing to team defense, whether it's blocking shots or winning puck battles.
If they can do it for another week, they'll shock the NHL world.
For a FAN's perspective of the Nets, Devils and Jets, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1.
