The goal of the 2017-18 New Jersey Devils campaign has shifted during this season. At some point, it went from being a better team to make the playoffs. This is true based on the actions of the team in the last month or so. This is reasonable as the Devils have occupied a playoff position throughout most of this season. However, the Devils have struggled to get results in 2018 and whatever lead they had in holding their playoff position is all but gone.
Much has been written about the goaltending issues, secondary scoring, injuries, and other true-to-a-degree reasons for the Devils falling to where they are.