After last night’s thrilling yet crushing overtime loss to the Washington Capitals, the New Jersey Devils lie five points out of the final playoff spot with seven games left. We now have a clearer picture on what New Jersey’s bleak playoff chances look like from a numerical perspective – i.e. what the Devils’ mathematical ceiling is. As of writing this, the magic number for New Jersey is 94, a figure that gets smaller for every point the Devils leave on the table and game the team’s above them win. The teams New Jersey is trying to catch up to are the Red Wings, Flyers, Islanders, and Penguins. Although the Devils trail Detroit and Philadelphia by five points in the standings, both teams are only three points behind the Penguins.
I typed a chart that maps out all the essential details, depicting how the final few weeks of the regular season will likely play out for the Devils, and their chances of getting in the mix with the four teams above them in the standings.
The Devils are five points behind the Flyers and Red Wings for the second wildcard spot. -Getty Images
*Italicized – Divisional Opponent
| Team | Points | Games Left | Record Since Trade Deadline | Remaining Opponents | 15-16 Record vs Final Opponents | Winning % |
| Pittsburgh | 88 | 9 | 10-4-0 | DET, NYR, BUF, NSH, NYI, PHI, OTT, WSH | 15-4-0 | .79 |
| NY Islanders | 87 | 9 | 6-6-2 | CAR, CBJ, PIT, TB, WSH, NYR, BUF, PHI | 11-8-3 | .50 |
| Philadelphia | 85 | 9 | 9-2-2 | ARI, WPG, WSH, OTT, PIT, DET, TOR, NYI | 9-7-1 | .53 |
| Detroit | 85 | 8 | 7-6-0 | PIT, BUF, MTL, MIN, TOR, PHI, BOS, NYR | 9-8-3 | .45 |
| New Jersey | 80 | 7 | 6-5-1 | CAR, BOS, FLA, TB, BUF, TOR | 5-5-2 | .41 |
The Devils may have already sealed their own fate. -Getty Images
Two glaring problems immediately stand out that seem to all but assure New Jersey’s 2015-2016 campaign won’t go past their 4/9 regular season finale versus Toronto. All four teams above the Devils have a combined seven games in hand. The three teams (Philadelphia, Islanders, Penguins) with a greater than .50 winning percentage against their remaining opponents, each have two games in hand over the Devils. This puts those three teams on pace to win at least one of those two games in hand over New Jersey, who also has the lowest winning percentage against their upcoming opponents. With 14 remaining points on the table, their .41 winning percentage puts them on pace to attain 5-6 more, giving them 85-86 after 82 games. Since all four teams are at or above that point range, the writing might already be on the wall for the Devils if these numbers (hopefully don’t) hold true.