If this is the first-round playoff matchup the Devils draw, they will have some fond memories to lean on.
The Devils beat the league-leading Lightning, 2-1, on Saturday night at Prudential Center, sweeping the three-game season series against Tampa Bay. Going into the game, the Devils have a three-point edge over the Panthers (who beat the Coyotes 4-2 Saturday night) for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
The Devils (39-28-8) were coming off a two-week, six-game road trip on which they went 4-2-0, to reestablish themselves in the playoff picture.
Goalie Keith Kinkaid (35 saves) got his second straight start Saturday, getting both games of the back-to-back that started with a 4-3 win Friday in Pittsburgh — another possible playoff opponent if the Devils can catch the Flyers for the first wild card.
“Keith has been a difference maker,” Devils coach John Hynes said of Kinkaid, who had 75 saves the past two nights. “He has really come in and played well. He has made key saves at key times. He obviously won quite a few games and been a real important factor for us in remaining competitive in the playoff race. We would like to see him continue that at that level, as well.”
Kinkaid is 11-3 in his last 14 decisions since taking over the No. 1 goaltender’s job after Cory Schneider was hurt in late-January and keeping it after Schneider returned.
“I felt good last year with ups and downs, but once you get on a roll, confidence can take you a long way and I feel as comfortable as ever,” Kinkaid said.
The Lightning (51-20-4) were still composed of a handful of former Rangers, with J.T. Miller now on the top line with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, while Ryan McDonagh was reunited with his onetime Rangers’ partner, Dan Girardi.
Yet the Devils were able to start the third period up, 2-0. That lead was cut in half at 4:22 when Ondrej Palat scored a power-play goal on a juicy rebound left by Kinkaid. That 2-1 score made for some tense moments down the stretch, but Kinkaid came up with a phenomenal save against McDonagh with just over two minutes remaining in regulation to preserve the victory.
The Devils started the game well, taking a 1-0 lead when Nico Hischier got his 18th goal of his rookie season by finishing a rebound from in front at 17:51 of the first. The No. 1-overall pick from this most recent draft now has 49 points.
The lead was extended to 2-0 when Kyle Palmieri was able to beat goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy at 10:59 of the second, shooting across his body from the high slot and beating Vasilevskiy’s blocker, giving the Devils that two-goal lead going into the third.
— with AP