Greg Wyshynski, ESPNMar 5, 2024, 01:12 PM ET
CloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils still believe they can make the Stanley Cup playoffs despite long odds, a ticking clock to the trade deadline and the dismissal of coach Lindy Ruff.
“The runway’s not that long, so we’ve got to really be desperate,” star center Jack Hughes said on Tuesday. “If we lose a couple more games, we’re out of the running. So, we are playing with our lives right now.”
The Devils host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night, who own the league’s best record.
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According to Stathletes analytics, the Devils have a 17.5% chance of making the postseason with 21 games remaining on their schedule. They’re eight points in back of the Philadelphia Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Division and eight points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the final wild-card spot. New Jersey has two games in hand on both teams.
Ruff was fired Monday after the Devils went 2-5-0 following their MetLife Stadium Series win over the Flyers on Feb. 17. Associate coach Travis Green, who coached the Vancouver Canucks from 2017 to 2021, was named interim head coach for the rest of the season.
“He’ll always have his handprints on this organization moving forward because he had a major part in our young players’ development,” said general manager Tom Fitzgerald of Ruff, whom he hired in 2020. “But at the end of the day, I knew deep down in my heart it was time for a change.”
Fitzgerald said there were discussions about firing Ruff earlier this season.
“Were there times during the season that I was looking at how he played and was unhappy at the time? Yes, for sure. Did that mean the call for heads to roll? No, not at that time. It’s the same coach that got 112 points last year,” said Fitzgerald, who gave Ruff a multiyear contract extension last October.
Did this decision come too late in the season?
“It’s never too late. We have a small window here. If we play the…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/39659481/desperate-devils-hope-make-playoffs
Author : Greg Wyshynski
Publish date : 2024-03-05 21:47:15
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