The Devils' long walk through the NHL wilderness is over. When they open the playoffs this week, the Devils will be back in sports’ most gut-wrenching and stress-inducing postseason for the first time since the decline and ultimate collapse that followed 25 years of near-constant success. It has been 5 years, 9 months, and 28 days since the Devils last played a playoff game. That’s 2127 days, for those of you keeping score at home. That streak will end with the start of the playoffs for New Jersey either Wednesday or Thursday.
Depending on your age, you might be a completely different person than you were the last time the Devils were in the postseason.