Sheldon Keefe credits Devils’ resiliency after Blackhawks win

The New Jersey Devils are on the outside looking in at the Eastern Conference playoff race. New Jersey needs all the points it can get if it wants to challenge for a postseason spot. Sheldon Keefe’s boys did exactly what they needed to do on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Devils fell behind Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks on Sunday. However, they willed themselves back into the contest. New Jersey tied the game in the second period and scored three goals in the third. As a result, they skated away with a 5-3 win on Sunday night.

“Showing once again that even when things are tired and even when things are tough that you have more to give. The guys dug in and found it,” Keefe said of his team’s effort on Sunday, via NHL.com.

The Devils are on a bit of a run as of late. With Sunday’s win, they have wins in six of their last eight games. They now sit at 78 points, nine points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with nine games remaining.

“The whole second period we dominated. Third period, it’s coming,” Devils star Jack Hughes said of the win. “So, we just had to stick with our game. Push, but not give anything crazy up. We did a good job of that tonight.”

New Jersey has to continue its winning ways for much of the remaining schedule if they want in the playoffs. They return to the ice again on Tuesday night against the already-eliminated New York Rangers.