EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Martin Brodeur said he is more confident the New Jersey Devils can qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season after seeing the way the team has played over the past week.
Since the All-Star break, New Jersey is 3-1-1, including back-to-back wins against the Seattle Kraken on Monday (3-1) and Nashville Predators on Tuesday (4-2). The Devils also have points in three straight games for the first time since Dec. 23-29.
"I feel a lot more comfortable than I was, maybe three weeks ago, when we were all over the place," the Devils executive vice president of hockey operations and Hall of Fame goaltender told NHL.com. "Look, it's do or die. If we don't put games together, it's going to get harder and harder (to make the playoffs), and we still have a lot of real estate to cover (in the standings).
"I mean, we want to make the playoffs, there's no doubt about that but these games that we're playing down the stretch are also meaningful games for our young players. The more and more you do that every single year, the more and more you're going to get used to playing in this type of environment."
New Jersey (27-21-4) is fourth in the Metropolitan Division, six points behind the Philadelphia Flyers with two games in hand. The Devils are also two points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
After hosting the Los Angeles Kings at Prudential Center on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, BSW), the Devils play the Flyers in the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series here at MetLife Stadium on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN360, TVAS2).