OPINION: What Devils Fans Can Learn From the Jets’ First-Round Elimination

The NHL's copycat nature is a well-known phenomenon.

The front offices of the 16 teams that were sent packing after the regular season keenly observe the playoffs, noting systems and strategies they can adapt from the successful teams that advanced to the postseason.

The New Jersey Devils conducted their end-of-season media availabilities two weeks ago after a disappointing 2023-24 campaign. Thus far, they and their fans have seen five teams get eliminated, and with each elimination, a lesson can be learned.

On April 30, the Winnipeg Jets' season came to an end at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche. The club entered the postseason on an eight-game winning streak dating back to April 1 and was arguably the best team entering the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their netminder, Connor Hellebuyck , is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, which goes to the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position, as voted on by the NHL's general managers.

Devils fans can learn a valuable lesson from this first-round series matchup as the team with the elite goaltender was sent packing in Game 5.

Georgiev vs. Hellebuyck

Entering the series, Winnipeg had a clear advantage over Colorado in the crease. Many felt Avalanche netminder Alexandar Georgiev was not the guy to lead his team to the second round after facing some struggles in the regular season. Some analysts criticized Colorado for not addressing their goaltending at the trade deadline.

In Game 1, those thoughts were confirmed as Georgiev allowed seven goals on 23 shots.

While his performance was not a surprise, it was a shocker to see Hellebuyck surrender six goals.

"You're not tagging any of those goals on [Hellebuyck]," Jets head coach Rick Bowness said after Game 1. "Some of them had seeing eyes, some of them were bouncing all over the place, some of them were just dead giveaways on our part. You're not hanging any of those on him."

Over the next four games, Hellebuyck gave up no less than four goals in each of his outings. Eventually, he would see his team get eliminated in Game 5 in front of their home fans.

During Thursday's exit interview, the Jets netminder spoke about his postseason performance.

"You're probably not going to believe (me) when I say I was playing the best hockey in my career," he said . "That's truly how I was feeling, and not only was I playing some of my best hockey, but I was in that zone where you're not thinking you're just playing. That is what you seek after. To not be able to keep four goals off the board is heartbreaking. It's really heartbreaking."

What's The Devils' Biggest Takeaway From the Jets' Elimination?

Leading up to the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, some fans in New Jersey felt the team was one goaltender away from being a Cup contender.

Through the first week and a half of the postseason, Devils fans have seen that there is a vast difference between a team's success in the regular season, being a playoff contender, and being a Stanley Cup contender.

What the Jets proved is that a team can't rest their laurels on elite goaltending. To advance in the playoffs, it is simply not enough.

Jets captain Adam Lowry made an interesting point during his exit interview when he spoke about the Jets game over the past few seasons.

"For the longest time, we relied on having a world-class goalie and kind of scraped by with mediocre defensive results and trying to outscore the other team."

Two things New Jersey showcased in the 2023-24 season were mediocre defensive play due to injuries and inexperience and their nightly attempt to outscore their mistakes.

Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald has gone on record as saying he wants to go "big game hunting" for a goaltender this summer to solidify the position for the 2024-25 season. The tandem is expected to include Jake Allen , who has performed very well since being acquired.

While competent and reliable goaltending is something New Jersey desperately needs, it is not the final piece to their puzzle.

The Jets should serve as a cautionary tale, and Lowry's words should serve as a warning that a team needs to consistently fire on all cylinders to advance past the first round. If Fitzgerald can successfully big game hunt and get his netminder, it will be a step in the right direction for the Devils, but will not guarantee a deep run in the postseason.

Related: Devils' GM Tom Fitzgerald Speaks on Goaltending Acquisitions

Related: Jake Allen on His Devils Debut: 'I Wanted to Show the Group I Was Ready to Play'