The New Jersey Devils played with an enormously large chip on their shoulders last season. Nobody believed they were going to be competitive, let alone a playoff team. Many predicted they’d end up at the very bottom of their division. And no one saw the spectacular, Hart Trophy-winning play by Taylor Hall coming by any means.
Fast forward 82 games, and the Devils squeezed into the second wild card spot (albeit thanks to Hall dragging them there), and all the prior expectations surrounding them were obliterated. Unfortunately, and much to the fanbase’s future dismay, it doesn’t seem like repeating the 97 points they gobbled up is very likely.