Devils’ lack of playoff experience not a concern for one veteran

On the eve of the Devils first playoff game in close to six years, there was one message above all to this young club.

“It’s going to be fun, that’s all,” veteran Brian Boyle said after Wednesday’s practice in Newark, one that was attended by a few hundred fans who cheered the Devils on as they headed off for Game 1 on the road against powerhouse Tampa Bay on Thursday night.

“They’re excited,” Boyle said of his young teammates. “They’ve gotten our team this far. Some making their playoff debuts are huge parts of our team. As the playoffs go on, different things happen and we can talk about it. But for now, enjoy the moment.”

Few people expected the Devils to be in this spot, having been in a playoff position almost all year but still needing to fight over the final three weeks of the regular season to wrap up the second wild card. That got them the conference-winning Lightning, with whom Boyle played parts of three seasons (2014-16) before signing with New Jersey last summer as a free agent.

The 6-foot-7 Bostonian first made a name for himself with the Rangers from 2009-14. In his final year they went to Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final before losing to the Kings.

Over that span, Boyle has amassed 106 postseason games, second only to another former Ranger (and current Penguin) Carl Hagelin, with 112. So Boyle knows what’s in front of this mostly inexperienced group, one that turned this franchise around in the blink of an eye.

“There are guys playing well beyond their years,” Boyle said. “The maturity level of these guys, as men and as players, has been a huge benefit for us as a team. So it’s not something that we need to change a whole lot.”

The Devils have relied heavily on Hart Trophy contender Taylor Hall, who is likely the best player in the league without a playoff game under his belt — yet. Hall’s six years in Edmonton were fruitless, as was his first in New Jersey.
But with 39 goals and 93 points this season, Hall is their motor.

He’s joined by the No. 1-overall pick from last year’s draft, 19-year-old center Nico Hischier, who had a terrific rookie campaign, as did college free-agent signee, defenseman Will Butcher.

Young, sparkplug coach John Hynes would not reveal his starting goaltender for Game 1, but it is likely to be Long Island’s Keith Kinkaid, who usurped the position from Cory Schneider midway through the season. Schneider had another tough year, and hasn’t won a game since Dec. 27.

But he is part of a small veteran leadership group, one that includes Devils’ mainstays Travis Zajac and Andy Greene.

“You always want to play this time of year, and you realize how hard it is to get here,” Zajac said. “It’s a battle for 82 games. Especially now, every point matters. For us, we came together, we worked as a team, and we got ourselves into the playoffs. We have to remember that we’re a good team, and with our identity and our group, we can compete with anybody.”

The Devils have essentially been playing playoff games for a few weeks now, and Hynes said “the fact that we had to win our way in has strengthened that belief” in the group. And it may have been drastically optimistic, but as the players were finishing up practice, the fans began chanting, “We want the Cup!”

“I’ve been thinking about it for 30 years, so I can relate to what they’re chanting,” Boyle said. “Put a lot of work in, now we have a chance to play in this tournament. It’s great.”