New Jersey Devils: Players Who Have Helped Keep the Hot Streak Alive

Although they would need a miraculous amount of wins, New Jersey isn't out of the playoffs quite yet. But it's not in them, either.

The Devils stand at 13th place in the Eastern Conference, meaning they'd have to advance five more spots simply to be the last-seeded team in the playoffs.

Is it possible?

Devils fans would like to think so, as would I. Unfortunately, the chances of their playoff dreams actually coming true are highly unlikely. New Jersey has to accumulate too many points in a small amount of time.

What do the Devils do in the meantime then, knowing that a chance at the playoffs may not be promising? They ride this streak out until the very end. Who knows, their current run of success might give them an extra push to make it to the playoffs.

Enough with all this speculation though, I'm sure this is the 1,000th article written about the Devils' chances at life after the regular season. Let's see who helped ignite the fire in a team currently at a 16-1-2 record in their last 19 games.

Nick Palmieri

Palmieri is an extremely underrated player, one that's only been on the team for 23 regular season games since being called up from Albany.

One could say that he owes his success to working with Ilya Kovalchuk and Travis Zajac as linemates. He has been a finisher on many of Kovalchuk's shots, getting the second opportunity off of rebounds. The best example of this was in the February 8 game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Palmieri buried the rebound off of Kovy's wrist shot to put the game into overtime.

A playmaker/sniper mixed in with a little bit of a grinder, Palmieri will be an asset to the team for the rest of the season.

Goals: 6

Assists: 2

+/-: 10

Travis Zajac

Although also underrated, Travis has been helping out the most during this streak in the faceoff department. Over the past 19 games, Zajac posted a 56 percent faceoff average, which included an 82.4 percent average against the Montreal Canadiens in early February. The game against Montreal was by far his best game of the second half of the season.

Faceoffs aren't the only thing that Zajac does well, however. He provides a great deal of offensive talent to the team. Since Jan. 9, Travis has posted 13 points.

Goals: 3

Assists: 10

+/-: 12

Johan Hedberg

With a goalie like Martin Brodeur, one doesn't expect the backup goalie to get much time in net. However, when the starting net minder has been nagged with injuries all season and has performed poorly due to a poor defense, the backup is bound for ice time.

Johan Hedberg has been serving as said backup, and recently, he's been doing it well. His record stands at 7-0 since Feb. 8 with two shutouts. Since Jan. 9, he has only suffered one loss—with that loss being in overtime.

Record: 8-0-1

Shutouts: 2

Mark Fayne

The Devils have had good luck with players that they have called up from Albany, and one of these players is Mark Fayne. 

The Devils' defense has struggled from the beginning and can mostly be credited for the Devils' abysmal start to the season. Fayne helps move the puck out of the defensive zone.

Although he doesn't do it alone, he has been a major reason why the Devils' defense is improving.

Goals: 1

Assists: 6

+/-: 13

Ilya Kovalchuk

I had to save the best for last. Kovy's resurgence can be responsible for the entire team's resurgence throughout the season's second half. He's currently on a point streak that started back on Feb. 1.

Ill-Ill-Ilya is starting to look like his old self again. Making defenders miss and weaving around the net and through the entire offensive zone isn't an odd scene when Kovalchuk's on the ice. His desire for scoring and making plays has returned—when watching Kovalchuk miss a shot, one can see the disappointment in his face. An average of three shots a game shows that he just wants to shoot the puck and score.

Kovalchuk's performance also shows how he can be a leader, pumping up the entire team (and if at The Rock, the crowd as well) after every goal or shot or minute-long deke of his around the ice. The play and talent that every New Jersey fan has been waiting for is finally here, and it's a shame that it wasn't here all season long. 

Goals: 11

Assists: 10

+/-: 10

Of course there are many other players that have aided in the Devils' current streak (Elias, Rolston, Tedenby, Tallinder, Zubrus etc.), but these few have provided the most for the team's success. Obviously, a playoff appearance would be great for the Devils, but once again, the odds of that seem improbable. 

Hopefully, the Devils' hot streak can carry into next season and then—wait for it—the return of Zach Parise can make it 10 times better and hopefully 10 times more successful.