Injuries Hang A Dark Cloud Over The New Jersey Devils Playoff Quest
If you’ve followed the New Jersey Devils long enough you probably already know that for every good thing that happens to the team, something terrible is sure to follow.
So I wasn’t surprised when I heard the Devils placed rookie center Adam Henrique on IR to allow his sore groin additional time to recover. This came of the heels of the announcement that Adam Larsson and Ryan Carter would not be unable to go in Saturday’s divisional battle with the Philadelphia Flyers.
With consecutive come from behind wins over the New York Rangers and Montreal, New Jersey has jumped into the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. While none of the injuries seem to be serious, it still hangs a dark cloud over two very good wins to start the post All-Star playoff drive.
When it rains it pours and right now it’s pouring injuries on the Devils. But, Don’t expect a few injuries to wash away any of the teams playoff dreams.
The Devils are three points ahead of the ninth seeded Washington Capitals. With little margin for error and an already thin defensive group, the team can’t afford any more man-games lost.
New Jersey has very little time to lick their wounds. The depleted line-up travels to Philly on Saturday, only to return home to face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.
The shortage of bodies could be the deciding factor in the outcome of this weekends games, especially Saturday’s battle with the Flyers. The last time the two rivals met, they combined for 76 penalty minutes, including four misconducts.
Despite the bumps and bruises, the goal remains the same, win and solidify their playoff standing. Don’t expect Devils captain Zach Parise to let his team lean on a few injuries as an excuse for not playing well.
“With the injuries, we’re still expecting to be in the playoffs,” Parise told The Bergen Record. “I don’t think any of us will be patting each other on the back if we make the playoffs (just) because of all the injuries. At least, we shouldn’t. We should expect to get there. We shouldn’t be surprised.”
New Jersey is 28-19-3 and have been without the services of center Travis Zajac, Jacob Josefson for the majority of the year. I’m still looking forward to the day when the entire team is healthy and on the ice at the same time. The sky could be the limit for this team with all of it’s talent.
Then again, maybe not. These are the Devils and something bad is sure to follow. Right?
What do you think? How good could a healthy Devils roster be? Let me know!
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