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Cory Schneider made his regular season debut with the New Jersey Devils and, suffice to say, he didn't get the result he was hoping for.
The Pittsburgh Penguins jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and didn't look back en route to a 3-0 win.
New Jersey carried play for a good portion of the game but the Penguins did a good job of capitalizing on their chances, and ultimately that was the difference.
Chuck Kobasew, Sidney Crosby and Craig Adams scored for the Penguins while Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all 27 shots he faced in the win
Some thoughts:
- Devils fans need to realize the sky isn't falling after their loss. The team was breaking in five new players and Pete DeBoer was mixing and matching line combinations all night long. Players haven't had enough time to gain chemistry with each other and it will take at least a few more games before that happens.
More on my last point: The Devils lost to a Stanley Cup contender in Pittsburgh while playing on the road in the Penguins' home opener. It could've been much worse. For those worried, remember there is 81 games left. Deep breathes, folks.
- Despite the 3-0 loss, I'd argue the Devils played very well. The team won the possession battle pretty convincingly and teams win more often than not when that is the case. In 55 minutes of 5 vs. 5 hockey, the Devils were +19 in Corsi (shot attempt differential). That's pretty impressive.
- Damien Brunner played some excellent hockey. He was generating scoring chances almost every time he was on the ice and finished with nine shots in the game. He also had a +8 Corsi rating during a little over 15 minutes of 5 vs. 5 play. Brunner has a ton of offensive ability and can drive possession. Expect a big year from him.
- Ryane Clowe was an interesting player to watch. He made his presence known physically as he finished the game with four hits and a solid fight against Tanner Glass. He also created a few scoring chances and often drove play when he was on the ice.
That said, he looked quite slow in the neutral zone - especially compared to his linemates early on in Patrik Elias and Brunner. Clowe isn't a strong skater by any means and when he's on the ice with players who can carry the puck like Elias and Brunner, he should dish it to off and let those guys do their thing.
- If you had any doubts that DeBoer was committed to spoon feeding Adam Larsson ice time this year, you can put that to rest. After playing 20+ minutes in each preseason game, Larsson continued to do so as he played just less than 21 minutes. Only Andy Greene and Bryce Salvador played more.
- I wrote in my game preview that one area the Devils might get cooked in is the faceoff circle. Boy, did that turn out to be the case. The Penguins won 33 draws in 55 opportunities.
Surprisingly Andrei Loktionov (67%) wasn't among the group of Devils who couldn't win a draw.
So who struggled in that department? Adam Henrique (17%), Stephen Gionta and Ryan Carter (both 0%) all had a heck of a time. They'll have to be better tomorrow.
- With the Devils playing the 2nd game of a back-to-back tomorrow in Newark, it will be interesting to see if DeBoer looks to utilize their depth early on. They have several good players with fresh legs on their roster in Mark Fayne, Jacob Josefson and Rusty Olesz. Wonder if any of them get in the lineup.
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Eastern Conference playoff predictions.
Western Conference playoff predictions.
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