Smith presence helping young Devils through Stanley Cup Playoff run

NEWARK, N.J. --Forgive Brendan Smith if sometimes he feels like the fun parent who is starting to sound like his own father.

Then again, that is a big part of Smith's role with the New Jersey Devils, especially in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and especially now down 3-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Second Round going into Game 5 of the best-of-7 series at PNC Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; TNT, CBC, SN, TVAS).

"For myself with this team it's taking things that I've heard from guys like Jordan (Staal), players like when I was playing with (Ryan) McDonagh and then with some legends I got to play with the Red Wings, and help guys see what I have seen in the past," Smith said before the Devils 6-1 loss in Game 4 at Prudential Center on Tuesday. "And then, just for my game, it's to just be like how I've always been, physical and competitive and compete on every puck."

The Devils signed Smith to a two-year, $2.2 million contract on July 13 to make an impact as a versatile defenseman on the ice and a constant veteran voice of it.

The 34-year-old played a role in shepherding the Devils through their record-breaking regular season that featured a franchise-best 52 wins and 112 points. Smith played in 60 games and had five assists (no goals) but the Devils went 40-16-4 with him in the lineup, a .700 points percentage. He was in the lineup for every game in their team-record 13-game winning streak from Oct. 25-Nov. 21.

New Jersey was 12-6-4 without him, a .636 points percentage.

But Smith's value to the Devils is more impactful in the playoffs, particularly against the two teams they have faced so far.

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Smith played for the Hurricanes last season so he knows as well as anyone what they're like and what to watch for. He sat out the first two games, 5-1 and 6-1 losses, before getting into the lineup in Game 3, an 8-4 win. He couldn't make a difference in Game 4, but his experience and voice will be necessary as they prepare to try to extend their season Thursday.

New Jersey defeated the New York Rangers in seven games in the first round. Smith, who played for the Rangers from 2017-21, skated in just one game, instead serving as more of a voice off the ice to help the many Devils players who had no playoff experience entering that series get through the ups and downs of it.

"We've got a lot of inexperienced playoff players," Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. "There's fake intimidation in the game. There's real intimidation. There's verbal intimidation. Any edge you can try to get in a playoff game, some of our guys have to live through, and some of our guys have to start to learn to laugh at it. I think (it's important) when you've got a guy like Brendan who has been through that war, has battled through those situations, knows that there's nothing to fear inside a game."

Ruff said he felt the Devils didn't play that way in Games 1 and 2 against the Hurricanes with Smith watching those games from the press box.

Ruff said the Devils looked different in Game 3 with him in the lineup.

"I thought Games 1 and 2 we didn't match their intensity, we didn't match their will," Ruff said. "I thought in Game 3, we exceeded what I thought what we'd get to."

That's not all because of Smith, of course, but he did have an assist, a plus-3 rating and four hits in 17:37 of ice time in Game 3.

"He came in, brought a lot of energy and was physical and did what he does," Devils forward Jack Hughes said. "When he's been in the lineup, he's been good for us."

Smith has an opportunity before Game 5 to make a difference with his experience and leadership even if it's not clear at this point if he'll be in the lineup Thursday.

"Especially when you're playing your old teams, it's that much more emphasis on getting in the lineup, but I've been there where I've tried to help younger guys basically take my job, help them learn how to become a good pro," Smith said. "I went through that. I learned how to play forward too. It's been an interesting journey for myself, but I think what I've taken out of that, more than anything is that just keep coming and bringing what I have, an upbeat personality, a vocal leader, a competitor. When I can do that, I think it helps maybe drive us in a certain way."

Smith said he learned the value of that from players like Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk when he was with the Detroit Red Wings, McDonagh with the Rangers and even Staal with the Hurricanes last season.

He doesn't have the same resumes as those players do, but he said he feels his teammates are listening.

"I don't know if the guys will listen to me as much as I probably listened to a guy like Zetterberg, but all I can do is give them what I've learned and do my best there," Smith said. "But my NHL journey has been great because I've had people like that and they've helped mold me to the player I am today. I think guys do listen because they know what I've gone through and who has taught me how to play this game and what I've seen. I think I can still spread the message and pay it forward like they did for me. That's kind of what I've been doing."