Magic Marky | 10 TAKEAWAYS

There's something magical about this time of year when you're in the hunt for the playoffs, making that final push. The urgency of every moment, the excitement of the possibility—it's all rolled into one.

And now it's all about getting on a roll, handling the final six games, and getting that 'X' next to their name in the standings before they look toward the next chapter of the season.

With Nico Hischier's hat trick last week, Timo Meier's unbelievable March, Luke Hughes on a heater... and Jacob Markstrom finding his stride, the Devils warming up at the right time.

"This hockey the last few weeks have been a little different than October and November hockey," Markstrom told me. "It's a little bit more emotion. I thought we're doing a great job of controlling that and not letting it get out of hand, I think it's been good. We've got to keep building."

And they're doing that building on the back of Markstrom and his passionate play, where we start this week's 10 Takeaways, presented by Ticketmaster.

1.

"He looks like himself.”

That’s what head coach Sheldon Keefe said on Monday night after Jacob Markstrom backstopped the Devils to their shootout victory over the Minnesota Wild.

It was only a matter of time for Markstrom to find his proper form after returning from his MCL injury. He won his third straight game on Monday night, helping his team earn that crucial second point against the Minnesota Wild in the shootout. Those chants of “Marky! Marky!” rained down multiple times at Prudential Center as fans acknowledged his performance.

He’s 3-0-0 in his last three starts, with a 2.40 GAA, and a .905 save percentage.

This is the time of year, the stretch of hockey, that Markstrom is built for, and the Devils will have to harness it going forward.

“He looks like himself. Dialed in, competitive, just his battle level, tracking pucks, he looks real good.”

2.

Markstrom is looking like the elite goaltender Tom Fitzgerald acquired this summer. And what cannot be discounted beyond his play is truly how much he means to the locker room. Both he and his goaltending partner are two of the elder statesmen in the locker room, and Markstrom’s influence cannot be understated. He provides stability on the ice and off the ice as well.

Don’t take it from me, take it from captain Nico Hischier:

“What he has brought to this team: leadership. Even helping me. He’s been around so long you just see him come into training camp and have this fire of wanting to be a great goalie and help this team move forward.”

3.

Speaking of ramping up, what about Luke Hughes? Just a remarkable stretch of hockey, yet again, for the 21-year-old. For Luke, there’s no living in anyone’s shadows as the youngest of three brothers.

He’s his own standout player.

In his last 15 games, Hughes has 16 points with two goals and 14 assists. He's taken on huge minutes (more on that later), quarterbacks the first power play unit, and has been taking care of himself dealing with a lower body injury in a way that he can step into the lineup and still be the best version of himself.

That's all about growing into a professional.

I did appreciate the pushback from Keefe when I asked him where he thought Luke had most grown this season. Here’s what he said :

“He’s played well, he’s taken on a lot for us and I think he’s definitely stepped up. But when you ask me that question, I would be discounting the fact that I thought he was tremendous at the start of the season. Once he came back from his injury, that stretch, just up to before Christmas, he was playing outstanding hockey. He and Pesh were great together and really kind of solidified our group and played our best hockey. So to talk about his growth and such now, I think it’s sort of discounting that because he was playing and had shown the ability to play at a really high level.”

4.

On Monday, Luke played his 150^th career game.

Luke played a season-high 29:11 in the shootout victory against the Wild. It was only the second time in his career that he's exceeded, albeit by a slim margin, 29 minutes in a game.

His highest time on ice came on Feb. 4, at Pittsburgh, when he logged 29:45, also a game that went to the shootout, a 3-2 victory.

150 isn't much, but it's not nothing. And as Jacob Markstrom sees it, with the role Luke has taken on, every single day he sees him getting better and better.

He's a committed young man.

"He collects stuff to put in his toolbox every day," Markstrom told me. "He hasn’t played many games, so a certain situation is like a first time for him, so I feel like he’s learning & learning quick, which is super impressive for a young defenseman. He's been doing great for us this year, you can just see him and his skill and his work, he becomes a better player every day, more confident and he can hold on to the puck with the best of them."

Of Luke eating up tons of minutes on the ice, Markstrom laughed and said:

"I don't think he gets tired! He can take a minute, 30 shifts and he can take 2-minute shifts and feel like he’s still got a little gas left in the tank. He’s a young guy and he's puts in the work off the ice, and I think it's huge. He's warming up. His routine, everything he does in the gym, everything he does before going on the ice, he’s been doing a great job of preparing himself for this moment, and I think he’s doing a great job."

5.

I laughed at Sheldon Keefe’s response when I asked him how Dawson Mercer was doing after taking his own stick to the face in Winnipeg.

“He’s doing good. Just might be ugly for a bit!”

Mercer, it looked like, lost several front teeth in the incident.

6.

Good to see Seamus Casey re-join the Devils yesterday. He’s such a great kid with a good head on his shoulders. Always very insightful, particularly for a kid his age, when it comes to his development in hockey, handling the ups and downs of moving between the AHL and the NHL.

And part of those ups and downs is being in and out of the lineup when he's up here in New Jersey. But there is no part of him that doesn't take every opportunity to improve.

He spoke about what he tries to do during the NHL games where he's not playing but watching instead from the press box:

"If there’s a defenseman I love to watch, I’ll focus on him. But more so, obviously, I’m rooting for my team and trying to watch the trends, the stuff we’re working on day-to-day in practice and video is kind of front of mind, so that’s what I’m noticing the most and when I’m watching, if we’re doing that really well, it’s probably going to be a pretty good game."

7.

Casey said to me that the guys had given him a hard time – jokingly – about all his call-ups because they’ve all been at really unique, exciting times in the season. The first, of course, was the trip to Prague that he got to take straight out of his first training camp. That’s almost as unique as it comes. And then, his next glimpse of the NHL is just as the team is about to go on a nine-day road trip with stops in Nashville, a first-ever trip to Utah, Vegas, and Dallas before heading back to Utica.

“The guys have been joking around. Every time I come up, there’s a really cool trip or going to Prague, and then I come back in time for a West road trip. 'Luck of the Irish,' I guess!”

No kidding. He didn't mention it, but I also remembered not only did that first road trip take him to Prague, but he also won Player of the Game and was awarded a Rolex watch.

And now he’s back up here for the final push towards the post-season.

That’s quite the first-year experience!

8.

The Magic Number to clinch to playoffs.

(As of publication!)

If you're terrible at math like I am, check out our new playoff page here to follow along!

9.

Seamus Casey had just a couple of days in Utica overlap with his pal from Michigan, Ethan Edwards. Edwards signed his first pro contract on March 25 and immediately joined Utica, much to Casey’s relief.

“Great, Eddie is awesome," he said. "It was just like old times, having him back, now it’s not just me getting chirped as the Michigan guy now, it’s the Michigan Duo! That’s good, deflect a little bit!””

10.

I had so much fun filming the Day in the Life video for Women’s Empowerment Month. Everyone's responses were great, and I appreciate everyone watching it.

Make sure you’ve checked out my two great colleagues Sam Mahon and Gabby Blaustein for their stories as well.

Also, I am stunned that some of you think my handwriting was actually computer-generated! It is, in fact, my handwriting or printing, I guess.

You can check out all three videos here!

One part that was left out of the video for time’s sake? Our goalie coach, Dave Rogalski, has a morning routine where he tries – and most often successfully – to scare me by banging his stick loudly on the metal posts where I sit during morning skate. I'm normally sitting there early, and waiting in the silence and buzzing of the arena bowl. He comes up behind me quietly and I am the world's easiest person to scare. He'll bang his stick and I normally jump about three feet in the air, even though I know it's coming. I'll see if I can dig up the video!

Too many people around the Devils know this and make sure to have a little fun with it!