May the Cup come again to Newfoundland? Dawson Mercer and the New Jersey Devils are the province’s solely hope as they advance to the following spherical of the NHL playoffs
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Because the New Jersey Devils’ defeated the New York Rangers Monday night time to finish of the primary spherical of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, Newfoundland’s hopes for an additional Cup parade is resting on the shoulders of Bay Roberts native Dawson Mercer.
Mercer, in his sophomore season with the Devils, is the one participant from this province that is still in motion within the post-season, which has already seen prime seeds fall, together with final 12 months’s Stanley Cup champs, the Colorado Avalanche.
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Alex Newhook, who received the cup with the Avs final 12 months, misplaced to the upstart Seattle Kraken in seven video games.
Mercer is in the course of his first NHL playoff run after New Jersey crew did not make the playoffs in his first season, and the 21-year-old is having an affect on the sport, scoring the primary two playoff targets of his profession and ending the primary spherical with three factors. He performed, on common, simply over 16 minutes a sport.
It wasn’t wanting good at first for the Devils, who stormed again to win three straight video games after falling behind the Rangers 2-0 begin the collection. New York received Recreation 6 to power Monday’s Recreation 7, which the Devils received 4-0.
For Mercer, the collection win brings him one step nearer to hoisting the Stanley Cup.
“I do know what we now have right here. You realize what we now have right here. This appears like the beginning of one thing particular,” he wrote in a letter to Devils followers for The Participant’s Tribune earlier than the beginning of the playoffs.
Packing his locker
The Avalanche’s dismissal from these playoffs means the tip of the season for St. John’s ahead Newhook.
That makes this the longest offseason of Newhook’s brief three-year skilled profession.
Newhook’s season final 12 months culminated in a spirited Stanley Cup parade by means of the streets of St. John’s final summer time, and the 12 months earlier than that, the Avalanche made the second spherical in Newhook’s first playoff run with the crew.
In seven video games in opposition to Seattle, Newhook had a single help for Colorado and averaged simply over 9 minutes of ice time per contest.
Regardless of the early playoff exit, this 12 months was an excellent one for the 22-year-old, who set profession highs in video games performed (82) and targets (14) whereas surpassing the 100-NHL sport plateau. Newhook added 16 assists to complete the season with 30 factors.
It was Newhook’s second-consecutive season reaching the 30-point plateau.
WTV host @LivMae10 sat down with Clark Bishop and his father Steve, who not too long ago flew in from Newfoundland to see his son play Recreation 2 in opposition to the @abbycanucks tonight. pic.twitter.com/eBLt32wQdg
— y- Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) April 28, 2023
AHL play
Whereas Newhook and Mercer represented the lone Newfoundland and Labrador representatives taking part in within the NHL playoffs, they weren’t the one gamers from this province in playoffs on the professional ranks.
St. John’s native Clark Bishop and his Calgary Wranglers at the moment lead the Abbotsford Canucks 2-0 of their pacific division semifinals of the AHL Calder Cup playoffs.
In the meantime, Tyler Boland’s Manitoba Moose are tied 1-1 with the Milwaukee Admirals within the Central Division semifinals.
The Newfoundland Growlers and their trio of locals — Zach O’Brien, Brett Budgell and Adam Holwell — are making ready to start out their subsequent ECHL Kelly Cup playoff collection with the Studying Royals.
Upcoming motion
Subsequent up for the Devils are the Carolina Hurricanes within the Japanese Convention semifinals. Coincidentally, each groups depend Deer Lake’s Darren Langdon amongst their alumni.
That collection will begin Wednesday, Might 3 with Recreation 1 slotted for the PNC Enviornment in Raleigh, N.C. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. NL time and it may be watched on Sportsnet.
The winner of that collection will go on to play the winner of the collection between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers within the Japanese Convention Last.
