By Gilles Moncour


The NHL is increasingly becoming a schedule-dominant league: While there are obviously talent differences between the teams, the gap between the very best and the very worst (both on an individual, and per-team basis) has never been more narrow. This means that the advantage of a practice session, an extra day to heal in the whirlpool, or even a good night's rest can be critical — not just against evenly matched squads — but any two teams.

This week the Devils had the scheduling-gods working in their favor, and they responded in kind, churning out three big wins. It started out last Tuesday in Buffalo, with both teams ready and rested coming off the All-Star break. Despite the road game, the Devils would claim a slight advantage since Buffalo’s best player, Jack Eichel traveled to Tampa for the All-Star festivities, while the New Jersey’s best, Taylor Hall, rested at home and nursed his bad thumb back to health. Buffalo played a tight checking game game, heavy on little hooks, whacks, and interference just borderline enough not to be called by a referee crew which, on another night, might have seen more than a few Sabres parade to the box. As it was, the Sabres had four power plays to the Devil’s none, but the PK and Kinkaid were strong and Miles Wood and Taylor Hall provided the goals needed for the win.

In their second game two nights later, the Devils were back home taking on a Flyer’s squad which had not arrived in Newark until after 3AM due to Amtrak issues (we know the feeling...), just after getting waxed by the Capitals in Washington. While the Devils came out with incredible jump and skated hard and fast, their passing and transition game were off — in part due to a physical edge the Flyers were leveraging in all three zones, typified by Radko Gudas’ leaping charge into the head of an unsuspecting Kyle Palmieri. The Flyers were desperate in a key divisional game: this would not be easy. It was then that the key moment in the game — and perhaps the Devil’s season — occurred, and Travis Zajac engaged Gudas for only the seventh fight of the veteran centerman’s career. In the end, Zajac shockingly pummelled Gudas (for only his second fighting win ever — according to hockeyfights.com) signalling that the Devils had taken up the gauntlet and would do whatever was necessary for the win. In the end, New Jersey became the first team this season to overcome a third period deficit to defeat the Flyers in regulation with a thrilling 4-3 victory. Nico Hischier, deservedly bumped down to the fourth line after being manhandled most of the night, showed his own moxie by going strong to the net to tip home the winner.

The Devil’s week concluded Saturday vs. the Penguins, with the Pittsburgh also coming in having played in Washington the night before — the Pens winning 7-4 in a dramatic, seesaw game. The Penguins are the hottest team in the league, and, despite their fatigue, would certainly provide a test for the Devils. The mojo provided by Zajac’s fight and his increasing chemistry with Noesen and Coeman proved decisive, as the trio created chances almost every time they were on the ice, while providing defensive work and a physical presence against Crosby’s line. As against the Flyers two nights before, the Devils got stronger and more self-assured as the game wore on, drawing upon reserves that their opponents did not have to forge a 3-1 victory.


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Going into the All-Star Game, the Devils were a tired team, playing and losing games against healthier and more well-rested opponents. Winning only two of their twelve games played in the month before the break, the cushion the Devils earned with their impressive start to the season was gone: the struggle for the playoffs had arrived. Coming out of the break, New Jersey had a week where they had an edge on the opposition, and did what they needed to, holding serve and collecting a big six points. The games will come heavily now, 8 games in 13 days, only three of which will be at the Rock; if the Devils play over .500 in that stretch, it would be a success.

As New Jersey dropped game after game in January, the fear of a slow, inexorable slide to the lower reaches of the Metro Division hung in the air. But now, Taylor Hall is back at nearly 100%; Hischer and Bratt are wearying, but still showing some magic; Zacha, Palmieri, and Wood have some chemistry; and now the Zajac line may have some too; Mueller’s return has added a physical aspect to the ‘D’; Keith Kinkaid’s superior skating and stickhandling has taken pressure off the defense and helped the transition. The young Devils’ can now see a path forward, especially as their immediate competition have recently been starved for points.

The Devil’s didn’t play their best hockey last week, but each game saw improvement: by the end, they looked closer to the team that was simply too quick for the opposition in October and November than they had in some time. The will need to play even better in the next two weeks — even though they might not get the same results — to keep their lead on the chasing pack.

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