With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching – The NHL’s unofficial first in-season benchmark – it’s time to take stock and see which teams have a legitimate shot at qualifying for the postseason. Going back to the 2013-14 season, which began the Wild Card Format, NHL teams who are in playoff position come American Thanksgiving end up making it to the Stanley Cup Tournament 76.6% of the time. 

With that in mind, Thursday night at Prudential Center, exactly one week before Turkey Day, the New Jersey Devils hosted their division rivals, the Carolina Hurricanes in a matchup that drew a lot of analysis due to the similarities between the two teams. The result was a 4-2 Devils’ win that served as the latest test case for where these two teams stand. Entering the contest, Carolina was leading the Metropolitan Division with 28 points in 18 games while the Devils were third in the standings with 26 points in 21 games. 

Here’s a brief summary of how the game unfolded. Devils’ netminder, Jacob Markstrom, playing in his 500th career game, was the rock New Jersey needed as he made 20 saves on 22 shots faced, giving his team exactly what it needed against a team like the Hurricanes. And how poetic for him to get a win in his 500th game, at home, in front of the Devils fans, considering his first NHL game was a loss to the Devils, in New Jersey, back on January 23, 2010, when he was a member of the Florida Panthers. 

As for the offense, Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes each recorded a three-point game – Bratt had two goals (one on the power-play) and an assist while Hughes had three helpers. In addition to the peanut and jelly duo, Stefan Noesen had a goal (on the power-play) and an assist and Dougie Hamilton chipped in with a goal. Dawson Mercer, Tomas Tatar and Ondrej Palat rounded out the scoresheet with one assist each.

Now that we’ve taken care of that, let’s get to the good stuff. Hurricanes’ longtime TV Color Analyst, Tripp Tracy is one of the most respected hockey minds you’ll find, so let’s hear from him on how these two teams stack up against each other. 

Question: Compare and Contrast the way the Devils and Hurricanes play.

Tracy’s Answer: “I see (two) teams who have star power, but are true teams up and down their lineup. New Jersey made a point and maybe it’s a compliment to Carolina, to try and make some big improvements towards solidifying their backend. Among the many reasons for Carolina’s sustained success over the last many years has been their blue line from top to bottom. 

“Both teams, even with the speed that is current and impressively so, in the NHL, I think these are two of the faster teams in The League. Not just because of the talent they both have, but the way they play the game. Not to say that it’s not ever east-west, but it’s direct. Both teams spend as little avoidable time in their own end as they possibly can. And because of that, they’re two of the fastest teams in The League.” 

Question: Neither is considered a “Heavy Team,” yet both play a solid defensive game, what have you seen?

Tracy’s Answer: “I’m a Carolina guy, but I’ll first compliment (New Jersey’s GM) Tom Fitzgerald and the fact that he made a point to get heavier. Brenden Dillon, aside from being a great teammate, he helps that element. Carolina had some tough departures, but certainly, the proof is in the pudding. They’re 10 games over .500. They had an extremely thoughtful, well-executed free agency period with the seamless contributions of too many guys to mention, the new faces across the board, to get them to where they’re at here, in the second half of November. 

“But one of the things they did is they got heavier with regards to William Carrier and Eric Robinson. Those are just two guys who I mentioned. Jordan Martinook is playing all-world hockey. The naysayers will say, ‘You can get away with not being heavy in the regular season, but you have to be in the playoffs.’ I think both teams have really done a fine job of checking that box, with regards to this being just the regular season, but also having the appropriate heaviness, to succeed when it really matters in several months (from now).”

Question: What are your thoughts on each team’s goaltending situation?

Tracy’s Answer: “It’s an excellent goaltending situation (for the Devils). Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen have played very well. It’s a clear-cut Number One and Number Two. (Carolina got) unfortunate news with the surgery announced for Frederik Andersen today. But, I’ve always thought about Pyotr Kochetkov’s first NHL game on a Saturday afternoon here (in New Jersey). I’ve always been a huge believer in Pyotr Kochetkov, for a variety of reasons. 

“His swagger, how much he wants the net, how athletic he is. And because of that criteria, I think it’s extremely important. It’s so hard to get a Number One. Look at what New Jersey had to give up to get Markstrom. When you might have one who you drafted, make sure you’re patient for him to take that next step. I’m a big believer that he’s (Pyotr Kochetkov) in the process of taking that next step.

“He’s got 10 wins on the season and with the unfortunate news to Frederik Andersen, Spencer Martin will go tonight, who I have complete trust in, you have to have depth at the position. But Pyotr Kochetkov has all of the things on a blueprint that are worthy of taking a long look to see if he can be ‘That Guy,’ so you don’t have to go out and get it externally. He’s in the process of trying to take that next step and proving he is that guy.”

Question: Sheldon Keefe and Rod Brind’Amour are two of the winnest coaches in The NHL during the regular season the last several years, what are your thoughts on them?

Tracy’s Answer: “What impressed me most in the regular seasons for Sheldon in Toronto is that he got the most out of his stars. Rod has been elite from day one when he became the Head Coach in 2018, for the Carolina Hurricanes. There’s a big narrative out there that the Hurricanes have been unable to take the next step in the playoffs. Well, they’ve won a playoff round every year, something that and I’m not putting this on Sheldon, but he didn’t have (that same) success. That doesn’t mean he’s not a very fine head coach because he is, but Rod has a leg up because he has won a playoff round in each and every year that he’s been in the playoffs. 

“There’ve been a couple second-round exits, but he’s made two Conference Finals (trips). And if you keep giving yourself an opportunity with a kick at the can, the external world will say, ‘Well, they just can’t take the next step.’ But you gotta get to the dance and you gotta get deep to even give yourself a chance. It comes down to a bounce, it comes down to a moment, it comes down, most importantly, to the luck of good health. These are two very fine coaches and Carolina has as good of a coach as there is in hockey.”

All excellent analysis from Tripp Tracy and it was the theme of the game as many were comparing these two teams, who play very similar to each other. 

“They’re the best at what they do,” Dougie Hamilton explained. “And their playing style, they play fast. They put pucks on net. We knew what to expect and we did our best to kind of weather that and get some more offense the other way. We did well tonight.”

Perhaps Devils’ Head Coach Sheldon Keefe said it best. 

“They’re a top team in The League,” Keefe explained, “as far as I’m concerned and certainly in our division. So gotta get points from them when we can. I liked our game tonight. Similar to Florida, I mean like in Florida we were playing The Champs and here tonight we’re playing a top team in The League and our division. Like our effort, love the result, very good. 

“I don’t think they respect us the same way we would respect them. Carolina’s here on a back-to-back and they’ve been storming through The League. For us, it’s a big game and it’s a big moment.”

Big game, a big moment and a big win. Maybe the Devils don’t feel like they have that level of respect from the rest of The NHL just yet, but with more games like this one, they will quickly earn it.